


Danganronpa: Downfall To Despair

by LawLu_Trash



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Gore, Character Death, Execution, Gen, Murder Mystery, Original Character Death(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-06-23 22:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15616050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LawLu_Trash/pseuds/LawLu_Trash
Summary: The students had planned to attend Hope's Peak Academy from what should have been the best years of their school life however fate has something else more despairful in mind. The monochromatic plush bear laughing manically at the students as he knows that they are now trapped within his game of mistrust and betrayal. What will become of these 16 Ultimates? Will they overcome their despair with hope or will they all fall one by one? Only time will tell...All the characters used in this story belong to me (apart from Monokuma, obviously) and you can find more information on the characters on my DR Amino account: Kurune the lil remnant.





	1. Prologue: Destination despair high

Hope's peak Academy, the school was a symbol of hope that people said if you graduate you'll be set for life. The ones who attend this prestigious academy are the ones known as Ultimates. To be an Ultimate you have to be the very best at what you do and hope that the academy scouts you. I have been given the opportunity to attend this academy of hope. I should introduce myself, my name is Okarine Hasagarwa and I've been granted the title of Ultimate Archer. I'm from a small village on the outskirts of Kyoto and I recently gained ownership of my family's dojo, where I practice my archery every day. It had never crossed my mind that I would eventually be stood in this position. My ahoge waved with exhilaration. The colossal structure of Hope's Peak stood proudly as the country's symbol of hope. The long, wide sleeves of my red and white archer's uniform and my dark grey hair wafted in the wind. I grasped my acceptation letter in my left hand and my smile was full of optimism. However as soon as I stepped through the gates I felt all the strength leave my body then everything went black...

My consciousness slowly crept back to me; it became apparent that I was slumped at a desk. _What's going on? Where am I?_ So many unanswered questions plagued my mind as I tried to take in my surrounding with a still blurred vision. When I fully regained my awareness, I found myself in a classroom but something seemed odd, all the windows were covered by large sheet of iron or steel. The sheets appeared to have been bolted to the window frames and when I attempted to remove one, it didn't even budge an inch. I felt my chest get tighter as fear set in. I tried to retrace my footsteps of how I got here but my memories were still hazy. I glanced back over to the desk to find a small slip of folded paper. The note was written it was seemed to be crayon with a doodle of a bear's face, it said," welcome to this wonderful establishment and ya new world! The semester starts at 8am at the gym so don't be late!" It looked like a child had written it _, what kind of joke is this?_ As I scanned the room I found a clock located above a hefty green chalk board. 7:30 Am. I hastily slid open the classroom door to leave. The hallway was illuminated in a soft blue light which made it feel that much more isolated. There wasn't a single person around as I wandered the halls searching for the gym, worry started to settle in, _what happens if I'm here all alone_? When I eventually found the gym I swung the door open and found six other people around my age, they must be some of the other Ultimates. I read about the other Ultimates online but I felt a bit intimidated by their presence even though I was one of the Ultimates as well. I nervously glanced around but I was definitely relived that I wasn't alone.

The Ultimate Musical Actress, Yuki Tairu, stood in the centre of the gym wearing an above knee length pink and black kimono with an oversized bow at the back and a matching pink flower decorated her hair. Her flowing locks were like gold and were worn in a high pony tail with a strand of hair loose on each side. Her crystal blue eyes sparkled and were so full of life. Standing not too far away from her was the Ultimate Journalist, Naski Shinomiya, wearing a black and gray suit with a white shirt which made him look older than he was. His chocolate brown hair was gelled up right and his eyes looked as if they wear closed. Stood in the corner with his arms crossed was the Ultimate weapons expert, Kentaro Yasohachi. He wore a long dark brown coat; that kind of looked like something a rogue from an RPG would wear, with a pair of navy blue jeans. His dark green eyes enclosed hints of malice behind them and his hair was snow white. On the other side of the gym stood the Ultimate drummer, Kazuya Asagiri, and by the looks of things she seemed pretty hyper. Her green tornado like hair bounced about as she began to fidget and her green eyes darted back and forth. She wore a crimson jacket with spikes on the shoulders, a bandage like top just around her chest, a pair of ripped blue shorts and loose purple leg warmers.

"You look nervous, are you okay?" the girl spoke in a sweet voice and wore a smile that could melt any heart. She wore a blue and white hoodie with a grey skirt that stopped just above her knees and a black pair of boots. Her golden eyes were full of curiosity and were quite mischievous at the same time. Her purple hair fluffed out at the sides and the top of her head was decorated with a high tech looking headband.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking." My voice broke slightly as I spoke but she didn't make fun of me but instead just smiled back.

"I'm Kana Chiska the Ultimate Tech Wiz, it's nice to meet you." her voice sounded like silver bells against my ears. She stretched her hand out towards me.

"I'm Okarine Hasagarwa the Ultimate Archer; it's nice to meet you too." I grasped Kana's hand and bowed as I introduced myself. She seemed quite taken back by my response and giggled to herself.

"You don't have to be so formal, Okarine-san." She placed her hand in front of her mouth and I felt my cheeks grow red with embarrassment. She laughed again and I couldn't help but laugh too. Just then one of the others wandered other to me and Kana.

"You two look happy, are you a couple or something?" the boy put on a half smile as he spoke. The boy wore a long black coat with a dark crimson t-shirt and a midnight purple scarf. He also wore a blue pair of jeans with a pair of black and white shoes. Both of his arms were bandaged up past the sleeves of his coat, which were pushed up to his elbows. His eyes were blood red with a scratch near his left one and his hair was jet black. At first glance he would appear to be a delinquent of some sort but his tone was much gentler for him to be that.

"No it's nothing like that!" me and Kana simultaneously rejected the idea while our faces grew bright red.

"I'm just kidding." The boy laughed at our reactions and placed his hands behind his head. "The name's Riuto Oka by the way. I'm the Ultimate cultist." The boy's eyes lit up and wore a huge grin on his face.

"I'm Okarine Hasagarwa, the Ultimate Archer."

"And I'm Kana Chiska, the Ultimate Tech Wiz."

As the three of us talked together the rest of the Ultimates strolled in one after another until everyone was present. There were sixteen including myself. Not long after the last one had arrived a black and white bear, which resembled a stuffed animal, appeared at the front of the gym. Everyone muttered amongst themselves.

"Welcome to all of ya, I'm Monokuma. Nice to meetcha." The plushie which had appeared before us all spoke in a friendly yet sinister tone.

"What the hell's with the stuffed animal?!" the irritated voice of the Ultimate Weapons Expert bellowed through the gym. He only said what was on everyone else's mind.

"I'm no stuffed animal, I'm Monokuma!"

"What's the meaning of all of this?" the tender voice of the Ultimate Actress wavered with worry.

"Quite, quite. Ahem. I'm on a busy schedule so let us begin. Now, I believe y'all are familiar with the goals of this most elite scholarly institution, to nature and develop the rays of 'hope' that are the future of this land. Now to make sure no one steals our national sunshine...meanin' you fine young people here...regretfully, extreme measures must be undertaken. Aw, who am I kiddin'? I don't regret anything at all! See what I'm gonna make y'all do is live in this school... Forever!"

"Forever, huh?" the Ultimate Marine Biologist was devoid of emotion.

"Y-you're just joking right?" Riuto looked shaken.

"It's not as bad as ya think! We got food, clothes, entertainment, even a warm place to take a dump—everything today's student needs! And it's not like up can leave! Every entrance, exit and window is bolted, sealed and blocked off!" the bear let out a malicious laugh.

"Then all those steel plates are to keep us in..." the Ultimate forger placed his hand on his chin.

"This is crazy you can't keep us here!" the Ultimate Journalist blurted out.

"It's the truth so believe if you want to...being expelled is the only way out of here. The student code of conduct says it's ya duty to maintain an 'orderly' communal life here at our very own Hope's Peak and respect the rules that are enforced here...therefore if someone was to disturb that order, that person and that person alone...will have to leave the school. The following actions qualify as disturbing the order...you must kill someone in this school."

Silence filled the room and everyone showed the same face of fear as Monokuma spoke those words.

"Bashin', stabin', clobberin', crushin', torchin', beheadin', wringin', guttin' or even hexin'. In short, you are free to kill however you like! The only way to leave this school is to 'graduate'...by committin' murder!"

_To murder someone else that's...he's got be joking._ I thought that the very idea of killing another was totally out of the question.

"Pu, pu, puu. Sorry. All the excitement! The adrenaline...it's such a rush, I tell ya. Anyway that's a wrap. So in conclusion, please be sure to kill. Kill, kill like mad!"

"K-Kill each o-other? T-That's too c-cruel..." The Ultimate Private Investigator stuttered as he trembled.

"Is this your idea of a sick joke?!" the Ultimate Weapons Expert shouted to Monokuma once again.

"Sick joke? No I'm not jokin' with ya." Monokuma's reply was so calm it sent chills down my spine."Before I forget you'll all need one of these if ya gonna live here forever." Monokuma produced sixteen tablets, one for each of us and handed them out. "These are essential to ya life here so don't lose 'em! They are ya student handbooks in a way, ya Monopads for short. They're very durable so don't worry about breakin' 'em and they're all personalised for each one of ya. One thing I forgot to mention bout graduatin', after a murder has taken place there you'll have a set amount of time before ya class trial begins."

"A class trial?" Kana Chiska responded with a shaky voice.

"That's right the class trial! To graduate from here ya have to commit murder and get away with it so it's up to the others to determine whether the culprit managed to clear that little requirement! Who will be the guilty party? If the arguments posed in the class trial lead ya to the correct answer, I'll only 'punish' the killer guilty of disturbin' the peace! However...if ya guess wrong, only the student who got away with the murder will survive! All of the innocent students will get 'punished' instead!! The jury will assemble an'that's you. Decide who's guilty."

I swallowed hard and worked up the courage to ask, "Wait when you say 'punished' what do you mean?"

"Why you'll be executed! Ex-e-cut-ed!! You could be zip-a-dee zapped in an electric chair! Chokedy-choked in a gas chamber! Rippedy-ripped in this giant office shredder I'm workin' on!!"Monokuma smiled and laughed again. "And with that I'll take my leave!" before we could say anything Monokuma had vanished.

The air was so heavy no one dared to move a muscle _. This can't be real, right? This is just crazy..._

The Ultimate wrestler shouted at the top of his lungs, "We cannot give into this despair! We must stick together and work though this as one!"

The air felt a bit lighter but it was still unbearable. Not long after, everyone dispersed and began exploring our 'new world'. I decided to search with Kana and Riuto. The hallways were all illuminated in different coloured lights and as we continued a strong, undeniable feeling of dread stuck with me. It was hard to explain but I had that feeling ever since I woke up in that classroom it was like the world we once knew was now so far out of reach, _will we ever be able to escape?_ Thoughts of what I had left behind swamped my mind; it felt as if I was carrying all my doubts on my shoulders and it was weighting me down, almost crushing me.

"Hey Hasagarwa-kun keep up." Riuto called to me. Without realising it I had fallen behind but at the moment I didn't even feel like caring.

"Are you feeling okay?" Kana's voice was full of concern.

"I'm fine." I put on a false smile and ran over to Riuto and Kana.

As we continued our search we found a blocked off hallway with a metal gate that appeared to lead to an annex off of, what we believed our current standing to be, the main building. We also found a blocked off stairwell, sixteen individual accommodations with each students' name plate on the doors, a trash room, a bath house with separate changing rooms, a laundry room, a dining area, three classrooms, a small storage room, a nurse's office, and a pair of huge red leathered doors which appeared to be locked. As we searched we found a decent amount of surveillance cameras and monitors in both the hallways and rooms. It only made me feel more uneasy about the current situation.

  
My mind wondered. Everything about this is messed up, first we are trapped here then we are expected to kill one another. _However, when humans are backed into a corner they can act irrationally so it's a matter of time before someone snaps. It could be anyone; no, I can't be suspicious of everyone, that's what Monokuma wants_. I slapped my cheeks at the thought. Riuto and Kana glanced at me with surprised eyes.

"Seriously, are you sure you're alright?" Kana appeared quite worried at this point and Riuto looked the same way.

"I guess not, but then again who would after being placed in our situation and being told to kill someone else if we want to escape." I felt my chest tighten as I spoke those words.

"We're feeling the same way but we can't lose heart. I promise we'll all get out of here." Riuto's words made have seemed empty in normal circumstances but any of us here would feel the little bit of weight that came with them.

After a good few hours of exploring, we all retired to our rooms. I flopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling. It was impossible to tell what time it was and we can't even tell what was going on outside all because of those steel plates covering the windows. As if a cue the monitor in the corner of the room lit up for Monokuma's announcement,

"It is now 10pm so it is now officially night-time, soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked and enterin' will be prohibited. Good night everyone, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." Monokuma's tone ticked me off.

"Night-time...?" I muttered to myself as I pulled out my Monopad and flipped through. One of the sections were labelled rules and regulations, I clicked on it and began reading through each one.

Rule 1: Acts of violence against headmaster Monokuma are strictly prohibited.

Rule 2: Night time start at 10pm, during this time you can only sleep in the rooms provided.

Rule 3: Daytime begins at 7am.

Rule 4: Once a murder takes place, a class trial will begin shortly thereafter. Participation is mandatory for all surviving students.

Rule 5: If the blackened is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed.

Rule 6: If the blackened is not exposed, the remaining students will be executed.

Rule 7: As an award, the surviving blackened will be forgiven for their crime and allowed to leave.

Rule 8: The body discovery announcement will play when three or more people discover a body for the first time.

Rule 9: Destroying any property without permission is expressly prohibited. This includes the surveillance cameras and monitors.

Rule 10: You are free to explore the school at your own discretion. Your actions in this regard are not limited.

Last rule: Additional rules may be added at the headmaster's discretion.

My eyelids felt heavy. It might be better if I got some rest so I can look at our situation with fresh eyes. Slowly, I drifted off into a restless sleep.

**Prologue: Destination despair high - end**

**Students remaining - 16**

**To be continued...**


	2. The spotlight shines upon this life and death performance (daily life)

"Gooooood morning everyone! It is now 7am and so night-time is officially over. Let's greet this beautiful day with enthusiasm!" Monokuma's childish tone woke me from my slumber. I slowly rose from my bed with a yawn and rubbed my pale purple eyes. Upon leaving my room I came face to face with the Ultimate Wrestler. His broad frame made me look even smaller in comparison. I felt quite intimidated by him. He gazed down at me with piercing eyes which made me sweat nervously. He leaned closer to me with a stern look on his face. After a few awkward moments he let out a monstrous laugh.

"Ha ha ha, I like you kid normally people have run for the hills by now! What's your name?!" his voice was so loud it hurt my eardrums. He slapped my back and laughed again.

"I'm Okarine Hasagarwa." My response was nervous sounding. _So people normally run do they_?

"Hasagarwa-san..." he muttered to himself and nodded. "Okay I got it. I bet you want to know who I am, don't you?" he wore a huge grin on his face and gazed down at me once again. He took a deep breath then exhaled. "My name is Bukuro Taizi, the Ultimate wrestler! Ha ha ha!" He posed triumphantly with his hands placed firmly on his hips. "What talents do you possess Hasagarwa-san?"

"Well I'm quite good in kendo but my Ultimate talent is in archery."

"Archery and kendo, they are both equally difficult sports to master..." Bukuro began muttering to himself again. "I admire your determination that brought you the title of Ultimate Archer, Okarine Hasagarwa." He slapped my back again. _Is this his idea of making friends?_ "Anyway we should be making our way to the dining area." He signalled towards the dining area at the end of the hall. "I came to tell the others that we were gathering for breakfast, it was Shinomiya's idea for everyone to familiarise themselves with one another."

"Okay, I guess we'll meet again in a bit." I waved to Bukuro as I left for the dining area.

When I reached the dining room there was only three other people present, Yuki Tairu, Naski Shinomiya and Kazuya Asagiri. I seated myself at one of the tables. Kazuya bounced over to me and a massive smile spread across her face.

"How's it going? Kazuya's name is Kazuya Asagiri and she is the Ultimate Drummer!" her voice was full of energy and enthusiastic. She looked like a fun person with lots of personality.

"It's going fine thanks. I'm Okarine Hasagarwa, the Ultimate Archer." I answered back with enthusiasm but I couldn't compete with Kazuya.

"Ah! You're an archer that's like so rocking!" her eyes sparkled as she shuffled closer.

"Well your talent is awesome too; I've never met a drummer before." I smiled back. "It's great that some people are so kind and approachable." Kazuya put her hands over her face as she tried to hide her blush.

"Darn it, why did you have to be so cute!" she shook her head while it was still buried in her hands. Everything she did was so dramatic and brimming with a contagious hyperactive energy.

Me and Kazuya spent some time together before everyone else showed up and grew closer.

After some discussion we all decided to make an official breakfast meeting for each morning in order to discuss any worries, discoveries and get to know one another.

When the meeting had concluded I went back to my room. There was still plenty of time left in the day so I decided to go find someone to talk to. I stepped out in to the hall and began searching. It didn't take long to see Yuki Tairu stood nervously near one the classrooms so I approached her.

"Are you okay Tairu-san?" my tone expressed concern.

She jolted and spun around, her face was full of fear. "Please don't hurt me..."

"Don't worry I'll never do that." I waved my hands in front of me and assured Yuki that nothing bad was going to happen.

"I'm so sorry." Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she bowed apologetically.

"No, you don't have to apologise."

Yuki sniffed and rubbed her eyes before looking over at me. I felt bad to leave her like that so I invited her to hang out. We talked together for a while and I feel like I got to know her a bit better.

"I'm scared; I don't want to die in a place like this." Yuki looked away with a sorrowful expression.

"I promise I won't let that happen." I spoke in a serious tone.

"Thank you, Hasagarwa-kun." She smiled as she looked over at me once again.

I'm glad I was able to cheer up Yuki. I decided to stay with her for awhile and we grew closer. After talking for a bit longer about everyday things I returned to my room. I relaxed for a while before going to talk to someone else.

I wondered over to the dining hall and found Kazuya acting the same way that she had earlier that day. She waved to me with a huge smile on her face.

"Yo, over here." She looked as though she was ready to burst with excitement.

I spent some time talking to Kazuya and eating different types of cake. I felt like we have grown a bit closer.

"You're quite calm for someone in our situation, aren't you?" Kazuya flashed a smile.

"It's best not to panic as it makes thesituation that much worst."

"That's totally right!" her voice was overfilling with energy.

"You're as energetic as usual I see."

"It's best to keep on your feet and it helps even out the mood as well. But all of this is kind of creepy."

"Yeah it is but if we work together we can beat this and nobody has to die."

"Heh heh, right!"

Me and Kazuya parted ways after talking for longer and I returned to my room. Just then a bell wailed through the empty halls like a ghost and the monitor light up with Monokuma displayed upon it as if he was mocking us. "Ahem! It is now 10pm so it is now officially night-time, soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked and enterin' will be prohibited. Good night everyone, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."

The monitor clicked off.

My conscience felt lighter now that I got to know more people during this morning's meeting and share our thoughts. Slowly my eyelids grew heavier until I slipped into deep sleep...

During the time we spent here, everything was fairly peacefully and nobody had done anything to 'disturb the peace' but this only provoked Monokuma further until he decided to bring us all together. After everyone had gathered in the gym Monokuma appeared at the front stage in a similar fashion to the first time we all meet him. His face flared up in pure red anger, "It appears that none of ya have committed murder yet and that just ticks me off! I'm so bored waiting for someone to make a move so I've prepared a little something for ya!" the room remained silent. "Wow tough crowd." Monokuma lowered his head with disappointment looming above but quickly recovered. "I've been thinkin' and I realised that all murders have one thing in common, motive!" Some students began murmuring amongst themselves but no one spoke aloud. "That's right a motive! I've prepared a very special one that I assure ya'll all be interested in!" Monokuma couldn't contain his own excitement.

"What is it then? Spill it." Kentaro crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Monokuma.

"Okay, okay. If ya insist, ya all had your school memories erased but if ya graduate ya can have em back! Puhuhuhuhuh!" Monokuma laugh was void of emotion and menacing.

_Our memories were erased, is that even possible? My mind was swamped with so many questions and that would explain the seemly large gap in my memory. But I won't be tempted by Monokuma's claims! I just hope I can say the same for everyone else._ Suddenly the silence was abruptly shattered by a booming voice.

"You make such claims but you don't show us any form of proof, how stupid do you think we are!? How can we believe such an outrageous remark?" Bukuro seemed to make the tables turn on Monokuma, which is clear by his reaction.

"So I guess ya don't wanna learn of the outer world then?" Monokuma asked just the right questions to get in someone's head.

"What did you just say!?" The Ultimate clothes designer blurted out in a shocked tone which quickly developed into a harsh one. "You know what's going on outside don't you!?"

"Puhuhuh, it's not just me but all of ya lovely kids know exactly what has happened... Oh wait that's right you don't remember cause I took all em memories! Whahahahaha!" Monokuma's ear splitting laugher echoed through the gym and he disappeared before anyone could question him any further.

Again the room was filled-to-the-brim with that same looming feeling of dread from the first fateful encounter with Monokuma. Everyone stood there dumbfounded. Slowly students begin dissipating from the gym without a single word.

I headed back to my room and tried to calm myself down. It was quite a while before the night time announcement reared its ugly head and it felt like a crushing weight on my chest. I flipped open the pouch hanging from my belt and stared at the transparent orange bottle in my palm. Its contents nosily tapped against the orange container as I slowly tipped it side to side. I read the label's block letters, **anti-depressants** , I sighed. I hadn't told any of the other students about these and I didn't really think it would be a good idea to talk about it considering everything that had been going on. I had to take these pills everyday as I used to suffer severe paranoia and I would still if I didn't take my medication. _But what good are these in a situation like this_? I lay back on my bed with my arm shielding my face. I found it difficult to sleep that night and I kept waking up pretty as soon as I fell asleep as if my conscience wouldn't allow me.

The morning announcement sounded though the hall, every word dripping with despair. I slowly rose from my bed. My mind felt heavy. The feeling of dread lay thick in the air. I unlocked the door to my room and left for the dining area to meet with everyone else. Upon walking in I saw Kana, Naski, Kazuya and Riuto. Kazuya immediately bounced over to me and smiled.

"Good morning Okarine-chan!" Kazuya was her usually bubbly self and happily waved to me.

"Oh, Good morning Kazuya."

"Hmm, are you feeling okay Okarine-chan? You look pale." Kazuya glanced at me and knew that I wasn't feeling hundred percent.

"I'm just tired that's all." I rubbed the back of head.

"Well as long as you're not ill." She smiled at me.

We chatted for a bit and eventually the other students appeared with one exception. I glanced around and noticed that the small blue haired boy was absent from the room. I turned to Kazuya and she seemed to have noticed too as well as some other students. They mumbled amongst themselves. I decided to go to the dorms and knock at the missing student's. No answer. I started to get worried and knocked again but this time the door creaked open. My heart dropped as I opened the door and peered inside. There was no one there. I was slightly relieved about this discovery but the boy was still missing.

"Where could he be?" I left the room and went back to the dining area.

Kana came over to me "Did you find him?"

I shook my head.

"Where do you think he is?"

"I don't know."

"Should we search around then?"

"Sure."

I didn't know the missing student's name but I hoped that nothing bad had happed to him. Me, Kazuya, Kana and Riuto began our search after explaining things to Naski. We searched around for awhile.

"Seriously where the hell did that little brat go?" Riuto sounded pissed.

"There's no need in getting annoyed Riuto-chan." Kazuya chirped.

"There's still quite a few room left to check." I looked around.

Kana was looking in different rooms. She peered around the corner "Maybe we could split up and search so we can cover more ground." We all nodded in agreement and started searching different areas.

I checked a couple of the classrooms with no luck then I checked the entrance. The blue haired boy turned around and looked over at me. He wore a white t-shirt with some kind of symbol and a grey and black chequered scarf around his neck, with a long brown coat and black trousers. His left eye was purple and his right was covered by a bandage. His aquamarine hair fluffed out at the sides with a single hair sticking up on the top of his head and he was the smallest of all the students, about 4ft.

"Err hello..." he sounded nervous.

"Hi. We've been searching for you everywhere as you never showed up at the breakfast meeting." I pouted.

"I'm sorry, I guess I forgot." He scratched his cheek with his index finger.

"That doesn't matter now since we found you. Oh and I'm Okarine Hasagarwa the Ultimate Archer, it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Yoshiki Kurosaki the Ultimate Private Investigator; it's nice to meet you too Hasagarwa."

"You're a private investigator? That's so cool." I beamed with excitement.

Yoshiki was taken back by my comment "Y-you really think so?"

"Of course." I smiled. "We should get back now."

"Oh ok."

I walked into the hallway with Yoshiki following and eventually found the other three then we all headed back to the dining area. However when we reached the dining area Yoshiki hid behind me.

"You not good with crowds Yoshiki?" I glanced behind me.

He shook his head and looked at the floor.

After the meeting was over we had free time so most of the students had left to do their own thing. I looked over at Yoshiki, he seemed calmer now.

"I'm going to get to know the other students' names so I'll be back in a bit, okay?"

He nodded "Ok I'll see you later then."

I left the dining area and looked around for someone to talk with. It didn't really take long before I saw a girl dressed in a karate uniform with a black beat around her waist. Her hair was black and in two low ponytails draped over her shoulders. She looked over at me and signalled me over to her. I approached the girl.

"Greetings, I'm Naoshi Harukawa the Ultimate Karate master." She bowed after her introduction.

"I'm Okarine Hasagarwa the Ultimate Archer; it's nice to meet you Naoshi."

She lifted her head and looked at me with her dark blue orbs as if she was assessing me then she smiled "It's nice to meet you too Okarine-san."

"Becoming familiar with names are we?" she was still smiling.

"Yeah." I responded as I nodded

"If it helps I saw some people go that a way." She pointed towards the hall on the right.

"Oh thanks." I started going down the hallway.

"Hope we get to speak again soon." She called out to me while waving.

"Of course." I waved back.

I wandered down the dimly lit hallways and eventually saw some of the other students. One was wearing a long pale pink kimono, with a unique dark pink design, and a white silk scarf. Her blue hair was tied into high twin pony tails with skull bobbles and her eyes were a dark shade of pink and she had a soft smile. And other student was wearing a long white coat with black trousers and a grey shirt with a turquoise bow. Her hair was a darker shade of grey than mine and her eyes were a pale green. I approached the two and one immediately spoke to me whereas the other was more cautious of me.

"Hello there." The blue haired girl spoke in a soft tone.

"Hi." I answered back.

"Who may you be?" she tilted her head slightly.

"Oh I'm Okarine Hasagarwa the Ultimate Archer; it's nice to meet you."

"I see, and I'm Omori Ishida the Ultimate Clothes Designer, it's nice to meet you too Okarine."

The other girl looked other at me and finally broke her silence, "I-I'm Kunieda Yami the Ultimate Pilot." She sounded very timid.

"Well you should hurry along and get to know the other students." Omori glanced over at me.

"Oh ok," I turned to leave "I'll speak again with you two later." I waved as I walked away.

They waved back.

I wandered around and before long I found myself at the dorms. The other students I didn't know yet were stood together chatting. I walked over to them and one of them turned to me as the other three continued to talk. She wore a blue and white sailor uniform with a dark blue skirt that stopped below her knees. Her eyes were sky blue and her above-shoulder length hair was chestnut brown. She seemed emotionless.

"Hello. Can I help you?" she spoke in a soft monotone voice.

"I just came to introduce myself."

The others appeared to have finished their conversation and noticed me.

"Oh I see, well I'm Enju Ronoa the Ultimate Marine Biologist. It's nice to meet your acquaintance."

"I'm Okarine Hasagarwa the Ultimate Archer; it's nice to meet you too."

"I'm Yoma Tetsuru, Ultimate Forger." His voice was deep and mature sounding. Yoma wore a navy blue sleeveless top with a pair of grey denim shorts. His hands were covered by a pair of black gloves which matched his black shoes. His fiery red hair covered one of his pale brown eyes. He wore a black half face mask and a pair of blue and grey goggles on his head.

"I am Shiro Akiyama the Ultimate DJ; it is a pleasure to meet you Okarine." Her voice was very calm and gentle. Shiro's hair was black with muti coloured streaks in it and it went down to her waist. She wore a black, grey and purple gothic loli dress that went down to her knees. She also wore long white socks with a pair of black school-type shoes.

"My name is Tatsumi Amano and I don't remember what talent is, but it's nice to meet you none the less." His voice was soft in tone. Tatsumi wore a red and grey striped jumper with a pair of light grey jeans and brown sneakers. His dark red eyes were almost a shade of maroon and his hair was nearly black but had hints of brown in it.

"You don't remember?" Under the suddenly remembrance of what Monokuma had told us the previous day, I started to get nervous.

Tatsumi could probably sense the tension as his expression went from calm to worry in a split second, "I'm sorry if I made things tense but I really can't remember."

"It is okay Tatsumi-san I am sure you will remember." Shiro placed her hand on his shoulder and tried to lighten the mood.

After chatting with the others for a while I waved goodbye and made my way back down the hallway. I guess that's everyone then... My mind wondered and before I knew it I was at the dining area. Upon entering the open space I found Yoshiki with his head resting on the table. I approached carefully, peering over at him. Suddenly he jolted up, the back of his head impacting with my forehead.

"Ow..." I held my hand to my head and looked at Yoshiki.

"Ahh, Hasagarwa I'm so sorry!" he quickly left his seat and bowed apologetically while looking like he was about to cry.

"D-Don't cry Yoshiki, it's okay it was only an accident." I reassured him.

"R-Really?" He choked back his tears.

I nodded and smiled at him which seemed to calm him down. Yoshiki looked at me with an almost teary eye. I sighed and glanced at the floor. Yoshiki disappeared into the kitchen, I tilted my head curiously but before I could wonder about what he was doing he reappeared. He walked up to me passing me a damp cloth.

"For your head..." he avoided my gaze and I could see his cheeks had become reddened with blush. _What was he so embarrassed about?_

"Thanks." I took the cloth from his hand and pressed it against my forehead. "Hey Yoshiki?"

"Y-Yeah, Hasagarwa?"

"Why do you wear that bandage on your eye?"

Yoshiki finally looked at me, "It was slashed by a suspect I was tailing and now I can no longer see out of it so I just keep the bandage on."

"Wait it was 'slashed'? Your talent gives you a pretty risky job." The 'not gonna lie that's not what I was expecting' look was written all over my face.

"I guess it does..."

We chatted together for a while longer. Me and Yoshiki grew closer.

A nearby monitor switched on displaying that monochrome bear of dread, "It is now 10pm so it is now officially night-time, soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked and enterin' will be prohibited. Good night everyone, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." The monitor clicked off.

I turned to Yoshiki "We should head to our dorms now." He nodded and we both left the dining area, heading toward the dorms. We waved goodbye to each other as we each entered our dorms, locking the doors behind us. I lay back on my bed and stared half-mindedly at the ceiling, still thinking things over. I was very restless and too agitated to be able to sleep.

"Gooooood morning everyone! It is now 7am and so night-time is officially over. Let's greet this beautiful day with enthusiasm!"Monokuma's childish tone rung through the halls.

In the end I guess I couldn't sleep at all. The air felt as heavier today as it did when I first woke up in that classroom. I lifted myself out of bed and stumbled over to the door before unlocking it and leaving for the dining area. The mood was pretty grim as I wondered into the dining area; most of the students were already present in the room. Everyone was on edge...the tension in the air made that painfully clear to me. As soon as I entered the dining area I was immediately questioned.

"You've finally shown up, Hasagarwa-san?" Bukuro basically shouted as I stood there half dazed at the doorway. He still intimidates me now with his booming voice and massive build; he was as they say 'built like a truck'. I wasn't really in the mood to answer which resulted in Bukuro staring at me with a worried expression etched on his face. "I take it that you are also as worried about this situation as the others here?"

"I guess so...I mean shouldn't someone have come looking for us by now? It's been awhile and we've heard nothing from the outside." I just sounded depressed.

"You must not lose heart! Keep your hope and strength strong so we can beat this without a murder occurring!" Bukuro shouted so the others could hear him too, he had a proud tone full of determination.

_Maybe he's right, we can't give up now_. "Yeah you're right, we have to stay hopeful." I smiled slightly.

"That's the spirit, Hasagarwa-san!" Bukuro let out a booming laugh.

"You talk about hope and not giving up but it sums up to nothing in the end." Suddenly Kentaro interjected into mine and Bukuro's conversation with an almost malicious look in his expression.

"Do you really believe that Yasohachi-san?" Bukuro glared at Kentaro with narrowed eyes.

"I do. Also no matter what you say, a murder will happen whether you like it or not." Kentaro glared back at Bukuro, his tone hinting at a more sinister side of him.

_I can't deny that even I thought a murder happening as a strong possibility but I just didn't want to think or believe it could become true_. "We can't think that way, if we do then we will only be playing right into Monokuma's paws."

Kentaro shifted his glare to me as I spoke up. "So you think we should just forget the fact we are in a life and death situation here?"

"N-No I'm not saying that, it's just better if we just focus and finding a way out rather than thinking about murder." I felt uneased by Kentaro's cold glare, it was like he could see right through me and I hated it.

"Hmph, you keep thinking like that then, see how I care." Kentaro simply crossed his arms and turned his head away from me. _Looks like he isn't going to listen to my reasoning_.

After an awkward breakfast, I returned to my dorm; _there's still plenty of time left in the day, what should I do_?

**Free Time Start**

I left the dormitory and looked around for someone to talk to. Deciding on checking the dining hall first, I entered the room and saw Shiro, Yuki and Riuto. I approached Shiro.

"Oh hello Okarine-kun, is there something you would like to ask for assistance with?"

**Should I spend time with Shiro?**

**\--- > Yes**

**No**

"You would like to spend time with me? I am flattered. Well if that is the case, why do we not explore this place together?"

We both explored the school's first floor together. _I think me and Shiro grew closer_.

"Shiro, I've been meaning to ask, when do you speak in such a posh way? I'm not trying to be rude or anything, it's just that I'm curious."

"I do not see your question as rude at all, Okarine-kun; it is a normal question after all. I talk this way because it was the way I was raised, my parents valued proper speech and manners above most so it is only natural for I to also speech as they wanted." Shiro responded with a smile but it seemed to hide sadness behind it.

"Erm you seem sad when talking about your parents, I don't mean to pry but what kind of relationship do you have with them?" I asked kind of wearily since it could possibly be a touchy subject.

"It is quite alright to ask for the information of my relationships. You see I ran away from my home a few years ago and have not since seen my parents; I may feel more comfortable to speak my reasons for such a rash decision on a future day."

"I see, well whenever you feel like talking to me about it, I'll be ready to listen."

"Thank you, Okarine-kun. I can tell you are a very caring person just by looking at you but I sense that you have been through a series of your own hardships, have you not?"

"I guess you could say that. Wait, you can tell that just by looking at me?"

"Hehe yes I can. I have a strong 'woman's institution' so you cannot hide anything from me, that means that you cannot lie to someone like me." She waved her finger in front of her and a mischievous smile spread across her lips.

_Wow it was like I was an open book when it came to Shiro._ "Ah alright, I'll keep that in mind."

Me and Shiro continued to talk about everyday life for a while before returning to our dorms.

_I wonder what else I will learn about Shiro next time we talk..._

_There's still plenty of time left in the day, what should I do_?

**Free Time Start**

I left my dorm and it didn't take me long to find someone in the hallway.

"Why hello there, Hasagarwa-san." Bukuro greeted me.

**Should I spend time with Bukuro?**

**\--- > Yes**

**No**

"So you wish to spend time with the great Bukuro Taizi?! Very well!" He shouted proudly. "Let us train in the gym!"

Bukuro lead the way to the gym and the two of us completed a basic training routine. _I think me and Bukuro grew closer._

"Haha you're strong despite your small size." Bukuro...complimented?

"I'm at average height so you know, plus you're just really tall."

"That's true, but I'm only this tall because I'm so great!"

_There he goes boasting_... "So Bukuro, how did you get into wrestling in the first place?"

"So you wish to know how? I guess I can tell you. Believe it or not, I was never always this strong, in matter of fact I use to be a lot weaker than I am now. During my time at school I was used by others and I could never tell them otherwise as I was too weak to do anything. My father then started to get me into wrestling and I took an instant shine to the sport. I trained hard each day with my father's encouragement. Then I started to compete when I was strong enough and I became the greatness which I am today!"

_So Bukuro had a hard time fitting in school? Maybe I will learn more next time we speak to each other_. "I see, so it's mainly thanks to your father that you were able to become the Ultimate Wrestler in the first place?"

"That's right; I owe him a great many thanks for his help. And what of you, Hasagarwa-san? How did you become interested in archery?"

"Well I use to watch archery contests on TV with my father when I was younger and I thought it was the coolest sport. Eventually my parents bought me an archery bow for my seventh birthday and so I started to practice. Obviously I wasn't very good to start with but I started to get better the more I practiced. So I guess in a way, I also have my father to thank for helping me find my talent."

"We are both similar in that way, I see."

Me and Bukuro continued to talk about our talents for a bit before leaving the gym and heading back to the dormitory.

I was just about to enter my dorm when I was stopped by Omori grabbing my arm. "A-Ah Omori, is there something you need?" _geez did she have to suddenly appear like that_?

"I need you to grade my newest dress design." Omori cut straight to the point.

"Erm okay? I guess I can do that."

"Great! Now let's go." She pulled me along, by my arm that she was still holding, to her dorm room. "I even got someone to model the dress for me so you can see it better, isn't that great?"

"Y-yeah." I nodded; _I wonder which of the girls agreed to this_.

I entered Omori's dorm as she basically dragged me along. I noticed that the dorm was very similar to my own as I looked around. Omori finally let go of my arm before she walked over to her bathroom door and knocked at it "Okay you can come out now." She called out to the one behind the door; _I'm guessing one of the girls was waiting in there ready to show off this dress_. The door creaked open and I was definitely surprised by who was there.

"W-wait Yoshiki?!" I looked at the smaller blue haired boy, whose face was bright red by this point. _I'm not convinced he agreed to this_.

"He was the only one the dress would fit since I accidently made it too small, so he had to be the model." Omori smiled innocently. _She definitely did this on purpose; no one here is close to Yoshiki's height_. "So what do you think? It's so cute, right?"

The dress was one the resembled a maid's uniform. The sleeves puffed out at the shoulders and there was a secondary part of the sleeve the started above the elbow and ended at the wrists in a frilled out manner with a white lace finish. Small black velvet bows decorated the rim of the knee length dress. A white apron type piece was draped over the lap and a matching, quite large, bow was tied around the back of the waist. Yoshiki kept his arms close to his lap as he stared down at the ground, looking extremely flustered by the whole situation. _I have to get him out of that dress but first I had to answer Omori's question_.

"Yeah, it's really cute and well designed; I wouldn't expect anything less of the Ultimate clothes designer." I smiled at Omori.

Omori's expression showed that she was pleased with my answer. "I'm glad you think so, Okarine. Thank you." She then turned to Yoshiki "Thank you for your help, Yoshiki, you can change back now if you'd like." And with that Yoshiki gave her a nod and went to change back into his clothes.

Yoshiki reappeared from the bathroom in his normal clothes and he came over to me, hugging my arm, after passing the dress back to Omori. We both left Omori's dorm after saying our goodbyes and if on cue the nighttime announcement echoed through the halls. "It is now 10pm so it is now officially night-time, soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked and enterin' will be prohibited. Good night everyone, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."

"I-I guess I'll see you in the morning then." Yoshiki wearily waved to me before going to his dorm.

"Yeah see you tomorrow." I waved back and entered my own dorm, locking the door behind me _. I guess I should at least try to sleep_. 

 


	3. The spotlight shines upon this life and death performance (deadly life)

"Gooooood morning everyone! It is now 7am and so night-time is officially over. Let's greet this beautiful day with enthusiasm!" That annoying announcement rung out once more.

I sat up on the bed, rubbing my eye, _looks like I was able to sleep for a few hours in the end_. I decided to wait in the dorm for a while; I wasn't really hungry for breakfast anyway. After some time had passed, I stood up and just then the intercom rang, _I wonder who that could be_. Upon opening the door, I saw Kana.

"Oh Kana, what brings you to my dorm?" I asked curiously.

"You didn't arrive to this morning's meeting so I came to check on you; anyway I'm glad you're alright." Kana wore a gentle smile. _That's right the meeting, I completely forgot_.

"I'm sorry about that, I must have forgotten." I rubbed the back of my head.

Kana's smiled seemed to fade and was exchanged for a more worried one. "Well you weren't the only one not to show up this morning, Yuki-san was also a no show."

"Let's go check on her." I replied, _why did I feel so uneased_?

We both went to Yuki's dorm and knocked at the door...no answer.

"Yuki-san are you in there?!" Kana called out as she knocked.

"Yuki please answer the door!" I called out too.

All that answered us was a deafening silence. Dread was slowly consuming us both, _I have to do something._

"Stand back Kana, I'm going to break the door down."

"Are you even allowed to do that?" Kana asked, her voice sounding concern, as she stepped back.

"There's only one way to find out."

I backed up and barged my shoulder into the door causing the lock to break and what we both saw caused our greatest fears to become reality. The lifeless corpse of the Ultimate Musical Actress lay propped up in the corner of the dorm room. A knife was plunged into her chest with her hand resting upon the handle. Someone who was just alive yesterday was now dead right in front of us, we couldn't, or more like, we didn't want to believe it to be true.

  
"Kyahhhhh! N-no it can-t be real!" Kana let out a loud scream and placed her hands on the sides of her head as tears started to form.

I stood there in shock and fear; _I can't believe someone actually died here_.

It didn't take long for the other students to flood to Yuki's dorm and most had the same reactions as Kana and I had. Then a new announcement rang, "A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, that ya may use as ya like, the class trial will begin. Also I want ya all to meet in the gym immediately!"

"Who would be so cruel as to do this?" Shiro asked herself in disbelief.

"I wanted us to beat this game without a killing occurring..." Bukuro clenched his fist. "However it looks like we also have no choice but to listen to Monokuma for now."

We all had no choice but to leave Yuki's dorm and go to the gym.

"Now what the hell do you want you damn bear?!" Kentaro was the first to question Monokuma in his signature ticked off tone.

"Yeah come on and spill it already Monokuma, what do you what from us now?" Naoshi seemed to be at the end of her patience.

"Calm down, calm down." Monokuma huffed "Well if you insist I'll tell ya, now that a killin' has happened I want ya all to investigate and figure out whodunit, ya get me?"

"I-Investigate the killing?" Yoshiki didn't seem too scared this time.

"So that's where this so-called class trial comes in?" Yoma asked as he looked through his Monopad.

"That's right! Ya all have to investigate then go to the class trial!" Monokuma announced.

"Hmph, no way I'm participating in your stupid ass trial." Kentaro glared at Monokuma and crossed his arms.

"Ya ain't got a choice, the trial is compulsory for every livin' student of this game!" Monokuma shouted back.

"Then I'm leaving, I couldn't care less about this game." Kentaro turned around and started to leave the gym.

Monokuma jumped in front of Kentaro, stopping him from walking away "I may not be as strong as ya but I'll stop ya." Kentaro simply kicked Monokuma to the side and continued to leave. Monokuma raised his paw "Ahem! Acts of violence against headmaster Monokuma are strictly prohibited, so that would mean ya broke the rules, ain't I right? And rule breakers must be punished." Kentaro stopped in his tracks almost instantly and turned his head to Monokuma. Suddenly the trap door on the gym stage burst open and a muscular monochromatic beast, with a build similar to a cheetah or panther, jumped from the open door and landed next to Monokuma. "Now my monobeast set an example to the other students!" and with that command, the monobeast pounced at Kentaro, sinking its razor like fangs into his shoulder. The creature then dragged Kentaro to the trap door, from which the beast had once emerged. All he could do was reach out towards the rest of us with widened eyes full of fear as he was helpless against the muscular structure of this monobeast. In one swift motion, both the monobeast and Kentaro had disappeared down the trap down. All we could hear was Kentaro's pain filled screams then a sudden snap which had silenced him, all that remained was the sickening cracking of bones and the occasional snarl from the beast.

"Let that be a lesson to ya all!" Monokuma cheered.

 _T-This can't be real, can it? Do we really just watch someone die_? It then became obvious to us that we had no choice but to follow Monokuma's rules or else.

"Now ya all better start ya investigation if ya wanna find the blackened." And with that last statement, Monokuma disappeared from sight.

We all slowly walked from the gym and some of us went back to the Yuki's dorm. _I guess it's time to investigate_.

**Investigation start**

  
Just before we began our Monopads beeped. I took mine out and what I saw pop up upon the screen was a Monokuma file.

**Monokuma file #1**

  
**The victim is the Ultimate Musical Actress, Yuki Tairu**

**The time of death was around 11pm.**

**The body was discovered in the victim's dorm room.**

**The cause of death is a wound to the chest caused by a sharp object.**

**Additional, there is a small laceration to the victim's left forearm.**

Truth bullet obtained:

 

-Monokuma file #1

  
_So now we at least know how and when the victim died_. I walked over to the body and checked around to see if I could find any evidence. The knife protruding from Yuki's chest was definitely the murder weapon but what was odd was her left hand that rested upon it, as if she had originally been holding it before her death.

"Don't you think the position is strange, Hasagarwa?" Yoshiki pointed at the knife as he couched beside the body.

"In what way..?" I glanced at Yoshiki.

"It's pointing towards the ceiling instead of the floor, as if a taller person stabbed Yuki-chan and not her stabbing herself." Yoshiki suggested. _It's not surprising that he noticed such a small detail; he is the Ultimate Private Investigator after all_.

"Yeah, you're right." I nodded in agreement with Yoshiki's statement.

Truth bullets obtained:

 

-Bloody knife

 

-Hand resting on knife handle

 

-Knife position

  
I checked inside Yuki's pockets and found her Monopad and dorm key. _Wait a moment, the key is here, but the door was locked when me and Kana arrived_. I inspected the key closer and found a piece of clear tape, with a small groove down the centre, attached to the key chain. Yoshiki peered over at the key as well.

"Tape?" He tilted his head slightly as he stared at the tape on the key.

"I wonder why it's here." I was confused by what its purpose was.

"We'll just have to keep investigating and figure it out then." Yoshiki replied as he looked at me.

"Alright."

Truth bullets obtained:

 

-Key in victim's pocket

 

-Tape

 

-Dorm was locked

  
Not that far from Yuki's other hand was what seemed to be a small white plastic fragment on that floor. _Strange, Yuki isn't wearing anything that this could have come from_...

Truth bullet obtained:

 

-White fragment

  
_That's all the evidence on the body_ , I then turned my attention back to the room. Kana was still visibly upset but she was conducting her own investigation nonetheless.

"Kana, how's your investigation going?" I looked over at her.

"Well I found some strange markings on the bottom of the door frame." Kana replied as she showed me the markings.

"Looks like some wire-type object was dragged across it." Yoshiki pointed out as he looked at the markings as well.

I placed my hand on my chin in thought. _A wire-like object...I wonder where the object is now._

"Also there's something else, I was with Yuki-san just after the nighttime announcement." Kana spoke up.

"Wait you were with Yuki? What were you both doing?" I looked at her with surprise.

Kana nodded "We were at the sauna together; Yuki-san was feeling down so I decided to spend time with her to try and cheer her up. We departed not too long after the nighttime announcement, maybe ten, fifteen minutes later, I returned to my dorm and so did Yuki-san."

"I see." I replied.

Truth bullets obtained:

 

-Markings on doorframe

 

-Kana's account

  
_I think that's all the evidence here_. I turned to Yoshiki "Should we you check elsewhere?"

"Mhm, we should go check the trash room next then."

"Huh? Why the trash room?"

"Just trust me one this, I have a feeling there's something important there."

"Erm okay then." I left Yuki's dorm with Yoshiki and walked to the trash room. A large furnace occupied the back wall of the room and something in front of the machine on the floor caught my attention, I decided to take a closer look. The object that lay there forgotten on the floor looked like thread.

"Hey Yoshiki, I think I found that wire you were theorising about earlier." I called Yoshiki over and he examined the thread.

"This looks like catgut, or fishing wire in a sense."

"Fishing wire? Do you think this is what made those markings?"

"Most likely, we haven't found anything else that could make those marks." Yoshiki looked at the furnace and touched the side. "It's still warm."

"So it has been used to get rid of evidence?" I asked as I glanced over at the furnace.

Yoshiki nodded and then he started to look inside. "I think I see something in the ashes." He reached his hand in and took out a needle.

"Wait what's a needle doing in there?"

"Now I understand so what that was used for..." Yoshiki smiled to himself, _looks like he's figured it out_.

"What was it used for?"

"I'll reveal what I know during the class trial." _I guess I'll have to wait for now then. Still though I can't help but be impressed by Yoshiki's skills, it's really amazing_.

Truth bullets obtained:

 

-Fishing wire

 

-Needle

  
"Looks like there's nothing else here, should we go to the kitchen since that's probably where the knife came from?" I asked Yoshiki.

"Yeah let's get going then." Yoshiki smiled and spoke in his childish way as he led the way to the kitchen, with me following not too far behind.

Upon entering the kitchen we both almost immediately noticed one of the knives was missing from the knife rack, _now we know where the knife came from_.

"I guess you both noticed too." Enju had walked up to me and Yoshiki.

"Mhm we noticed straight away." Yoshiki looked up at Enju with a smile on his face.

"So now was just have to figure out who took the knife in the first place." I added.

"I could help you with that," Enju replied, still showing no emotion in her tone. "Omori and I saw who took the knife from the kitchen after all."

"Who took the knifu then?" Yoshiki asked childishly.

"It was Yuki, she was the one who I saw take it. She acknowledged that Omori and I saw her too and said she was going to leave this game no matter what, she then left before I could tell her otherwise."

Truth bullets obtained:

 

-Missing knife from kitchen

 

-Enju's account

  
The monitors clicked on and another announcement echo through the halls. "Yeeeeah I'm bored now so let's get this class trial on the roll, shall we?! Make ya way to the red doors located on the first floor of the academy! Puhuhu. See ya soon!"

"I guess it's time for the trial..." I didn't sound too enthusiastic about it _but to be honest why would I be? But I can't back down now; I have to uncover the truth behind Yuki's death_.

Me, Enju and Yoshiki made our way to the pair of red leather doors, where we met up with the rest of the students.

"Puhuhu...is everyone here? Okay then...please enter the elevator in front of ya, which will transport ya all to the court room...where all ya fates will be decided. I'll be waiting..." Monokuma's voice leaked from the speakers.

The doors opened revealing an elevator, we all stepped in and the doors rattled as they closed. The elevator then started its slow descent to the fated first trial. The cold steel box descended with heavy clunking sounds towards the academy basement.

It became oblivious that we all shared a similar feeling of anxiety as the elevator lowered us further and further into the bowels of the academy. The elevator doors opened signalling the end of our descent and what we saw was a makeshift trial room with sixteen podiums in a circle, and at two of the podiums was the portraits of Kentaro and Yuki with a red X across the faces. There was also a rather large chair that Monokuma sat upon.

"Nyohoho! Ya all have finally arrived!" Monokuma let out joy filled laughter "What do ya think? Don't ya think this feels like a real courtroom?"

"Not even close you sicko!" Bukuro raged.

"Okay okay, everyone find ya assigned seats. Hurry up, hurry up we don't have all day!" Monokuma was being pushy again.

We all did as he said and swiftly found each of our podiums. Since the podiums were arranged in a circle, everyone could see each other which only helped to transfer the tension and unease around even more. The air felt heavy as we all stood in participation.

_And so the curtain on our first case draws open, Yuki Tairu the Ultimate Musical Actress, someone who was so set on living, was now dead and it was up to us to uncover the deadly truth. The time has come for the curtain to draw upon this performance of life and death. We had to now fight for our lives and find the killer so the rest of us can keep on living. It was time for a deadly judgement...A deadly deception...A deadly betrayal...A deadly riddle, a deadly defence, a deadly faith.....A deadly...class trial!_


	4. The spotlight shines upon this life and death performance (trial)

**Court preparation – pre-trial prep**

Truth bullets:

-Monokuma file #1

-Bloody knife

-Hand resting on knife handle

-Knife position

-Key in victim's pocket

-Tape

-Dorm was locked

-White fragment

-Markings on doorframe

-Kana's account

-Fishing wire

-Needle

-Missing knife from kitchen

-Enju's account

**Class trial begin, all rise**

Monokuma: Now let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, ya votes will determine the results. If ya can figure out 'whodunit' only they will receive punishment. But if ya pick the wrong one I'll punish everyone *besides* the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone will graduate!

Okarine: And the blackened is one of us?

Monokuma: of course!

Riuto: Now before we begin, I have one small question...What's with those pictures?

Monokuma: I'd feel awful if they got left out just cause they're dead. Friendship breaks through even death's barrier!

Riuto: ...I see.

Monokuma: First up is the summary of the case. Now, let the trial...begin!

**Nonstop debate – make your argument**

 

Bukuro: So the victim is the late Yuki Tairu.

 

Naski: Yeah, we already know that part

 

Kazuya: And the victim died in their dorm...

 

Kunieda: S-so it seems likely that...

 

Kunieda: The killer took Yuki by surprise while she was in her dorm

 

Kunieda: as **they entered without her knowing**

 

-Dorm was locked

 

Okarine: No, that's wrong!

 

Break

  
Okarine: Just a second, Kunieda. When me and Kana went to Yuki's dorm this morning, the door was locked and we couldn't get a response so I had to break it down.

Kunieda: Is that true?

Kana: Okarine-san is right, we tried knocking at Yuki's dorm and when she didn't answer we had no choice but to break down the door.

Kunieda: Oh, sorry for the confusion...

Naski: Okay so what next?

Yoma: Next is the subject of the murder weapon.

Tatsumi: This is starting to sound like a legit trial.

**Nonstop debate – make your argument**

 

Yoshiki: The weapon used to kill Yuki-chan was definitely the knife we found

 

Omori: But the question is where it came from...

 

Bukuro: It must have just been a **random knife** the killer took!

 

-Missing Knife from kitchen

 

Okarine: No, that's wrong!

 

Break

  
Okarine: The knife was most likely from the kitchen. Yoshiki, me and Enju found that one of the knives was missing when we investigated there.

Yoshiki: Yep yep, we saw that a knife was missing from the knife rack.

Bukuro: So the knife is from the kitchen and that means if we figure out who took it, then we find the killer!

_I already know who took the knife, what evidence do I have that tells me who it was?_

-Enju's account

 

_That's it!_

  
Okarine: I know who took the knife

Naoshi: Wait, you do? Then who was it?

Okarine: It was Yuki, the victim herself

Tatsumi: The victim took it? Do you have proof of this?

Okarine: Yes and in matter of fact I have witnesses, isn't that right Enju, Omori?

Enju: It's true, Omori and I witnessed Yuki take the knife from the kitchen yesterday evening. She also said she was going to leave this game no matter what.

Riuto: This sheds a different kind of the situation then

Naski: With this evidence only one conclusion can be made...

**Nonstop debate – make your argument**

 

Naski: Since the dorm was locked no one could have got in

 

Naski: so that places the victim by them self

 

Naski: and the fact that she took the knife 

 

Kunieda: as well as her claim to leave this killing game under any means

 

Shiro: would that not mean that she...

 

Naski: **Yuki committed suicide!**

 

-Monokuma file #1

 

Okarine: No that's wrong!

 

Break 

  
Okarine: Look closely at the Monokuma file, it said that Yuki had a small cut to her left forearm.

Naski: So? That could be self inflicted.

Okarine: but the knife was in her left hand so it wouldn't make sense for her to cut the same hand that she was holding the knife in.

Yoshiki: I get where you're coming from, Hasagarwa.

Okarine: There's also something else bothering me...

_What was it that seemed strange_?

-Hand resting on knife handle

 

_That's it_!

  
Okarine: The hand Yuki had resting on the knife was also strange

Yoma: How so?

Okarine: Well her hand didn't look like it had been gripping the knife so I don't think Yuki was the one holding it

Naski: Hold on a moment!

Argue

 

**Rebuttal Showdown**

 

Naski: You keep talking about the hand on the knife being strange

 

Naski: but this is all just your speculation!

 

Naski: so what if the hand isn't gripping the knife?

 

Naski: muscles relax when you die then tense back up

 

Naski: so Yuki would have let go of the knife!

 

Advance

 

Okarine: But the hand shouldn't look the way it did

 

Okarine: she would have let go slightly or her hand should be in the same position as her other hand

 

Okarine: It was if the killer placed her hand there after they killed her.

 

Naski: But it wasn't murder, Yuki committed suicide

 

Naski: She took the knife from the kitchen, went back to her dorm

 

Naski: then **stabbed herself**

 

**-** knife position

 

Okarine: Allow me to cut through those words!

 

Break

  
Okarine: Think back to the positioning of the knife in the victim's chest

Naski: The positioning?

Okarine: Yoshiki was the one to point it out to me

Yoshiki: Yep, the position showed that the knife was stabbed downwards into the victim. If Yuki had stabbed herself then the knife should have been stabbed from below

Okarine: and that concludes that she didn't commit suicide and this is a matter of fact, a murder case

Naski: Oh, well if that's the case then I guess you're right

Shiro: Now we must discuss who the murderer is?

Kazuya: Kazuya thinks we should if we are to vote correctly at the end of this trial

Naoshi: So we just find out who the last person to see the victim and then we find our killer

Riuto: It might not be that easy, you know?

Okarine: Wait I know someone who was with the victim about an hour before the murder

Bukuro: If you know then please say so

_I have evidence of who it was, now what was it again?_

-Kana's account

 

_That's it_!

  
Okarine: It was Kana

Tatsumi: Kana-san?

Naoshi: Why were you with Yuki, Kana?

Kana: Yuki-san was feeling down so I was trying to cheer her up so we went to the baths together and left a little after the nighttime announcement

Yoma: Where did you both go after the two of you left?

Kana: We both went straight back to our dorms

Yoma: So the killer must have gone to Yuki's dorm not too long after you both parted ways

Yoshiki: We're getting further away from what we should be discussing

Kazuya: What do you mean, Yoshiki-chan? Kazuya doesn't quite understand

Yoshiki: Remember the door was locked when we arrived at the scene so shouldn't we be talking about how the killer was able to do that?

Tatsumi: Easy, they just locked the door with the key then slipped it under the door back into the room

Yoshiki: That's the basic explanation of what happened

Tatsumi: Wait really?

Omori: Should we be under the assumption that you already know how the killer locked the door?

Yoshiki: Of course

Omori: Then instead of us trying to guess, why don't you just tell us then?

Yoshiki: But that would be boring...

_Why is Yoshiki being like this?_

Yoshiki: Why don't you tell them Hasagarwa?

Okarine: Huh? Me?

Yoshiki: Yes you, I'm confident you can figure out the killer's trick

_The killer's trick...I'll have to think about that evidence..._

**Logic drive**

 

Question 1: Where was the key found?

 

A: On the floor

 

B: In the victim's pocket

 

B

 

Question 2: How was the key brought into the room?

 

A: It was dragged in

 

B: It was pushed in

 

A

 

Question 3: What was used to bring the key into the room?

 

A: The wire and needle

 

B: The killer's hands

 

A

 

_It all adds up_!

  
Okarine: The killer used the fishing wire and needle that me and Yoshiki found in the trash room. With those items along with something else we found, the killer could lock the door and have the key back in the victim's pocket

Kunieda: What else would they need?

_The killer also used.._.

-Tape on the key

 

_That's it_!

  
Okarine: The tape on the key

Bukuro: I don't think I understand how it's possible

Yoshiki: I can explain the trick for ya all if you want

Yoma: Then if you care to tell us then now would be a good time

Yoshiki: Okay okay. After the crime was committed, the killer took the key the victim had and then they took out the fishing wire and needle they had prepared earlier. Then they fixed the fishing wire to the key with the tape and thread the needle through the victim's pocket, pulling the fishing wire with it. They took both ends of the wire out of the door and passed the fishing wire through the space under the door then closed it. Then they simply locked the door using the key. Then they just put the key on the floor and pulled on the needle end of the fishing wire. The key went under the door then to the victim's pocket. Then all there was left to do was pull on the wire for it to snap away, ravel up the wire and take it away with them. Then tah-dah, a perfectly sealed room!

Bukuro: A trick like that, is it even possible to pull off?

Yoshiki: Mhm, I've seen it used before on a couple of occasions in real life and in a volume of 'case closed' manga

Shiro: Come to think of it, I have seen rolls of tape and fishing wire in the storage room so that is most likely where the culprit took it from. However, I never saw any needles

_No needles in the storage room...along with another piece of evidence the culprit should become more obvious!_

**Hangman's gambit**

 

_ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

 

E N W R I M A T G T E F H

 

White Fragment

 

_That's it_!

  
_Now I know without a doubt that person is the culprit_

**Decision time – pick the culprit**

 

1\. Okarine Hasagarwa

 

2\. Enju Ronoa 

 

3\. Yuki Tairu 

 

4\. Yoshiki Kurosaki

 

5\. Bukuro Taizi

 

6\. Kana Chiska

 

7\. Omori Ishida

 

8\. Naski Shinomiya

 

9\. Yoma Tetsuru

 

10\. Shiro Akiyama

 

11\. Naoshi Harukawa

 

12\. Kunieda Yami

 

13\. Tatsumi Amano

 

14\. Kentaro Yasohachi

 

15\. Riuto Oka

 

16\. Kazuya Asagiri

 

**Omori Ishida**

 

_It was you_!

  
Okarine: Omori, you're the culprit aren't you?

Omori: M-Me? You think I'm the culprit?

Okarine: The white fragment in Yuki's dorm proves it can only be you

Omori: Is that all the evidence you have? You can't blame me for murder based on such a small detail

Okarine: If you're not the culprit then please show me the evidence

Omori: ...

Shiro: Omori-san, say something to defend yourself

Omori: To make such an outrageous remark with any evidence, of course I'm going to fight back!

**Argument armament**

 

I'm not the culprit!

 

Don't make stupid assumptions!

  
Shut up, Shut up!

I will keep fighting!

  
Stop saying I'm the killer!

You have no evidence!

  
That white fragment means nothing! And if you think it does mean something then tell me where it came from!

**Your white skull bobbles**

 

_This is my answer_!

 

Break

  
Omori: ....

Okarine: Just give it up, you've lost...

Omori: How did you guess..?

Okarine: You're the only one wearing anything white that's made of plastic. I'm sure if you compare the fragment to your bobble, it will fit perfectly on the bottom.

Omori: I see...I guess you already know how everything happened to?

Okarine: I can tell you what I thought happened

**Closing argument**

  
_This is how everything played out_!

**Act 1** : The plan for murder started yesterday evening when Yuki Tairu, the victim of this case, took a certain item from the kitchen. That item was one of the knives. Unfortunately for Yuki, the culprit along with Enju saw her take the knife and that's when the idea for her murder started to form.

**Act 2** : The culprit went to the storage room, taking two items that were used to create the sealed room; those items were the fishing wire and tape. The culprit returned to their dorm with the fishing wire and tape where they prepared them self to commit murder. And due to the culprit's talent, they were able to get the needle from their dorm.

**Act 3** : The culprit approached me before the nighttime announcement asking for me to judge their newest clothes design, using Yoshiki as their model. After me and Yoshiki had left the nighttime announcement sounded, signalling the start of the culprit's plan. They completed their preparations and waited for Yuki to return to her dorm.

**Act 4** : When Yuki was back in her dorm, the culprit took the fishing wire with the needle tied on and the tape with them and knocked at the dorm's door. Yuki most likely let the culprit in since she trusted them but little did she know that would be a grave mistake. The culprit attacked Yuki and took the knife away from her. During a short struggle Yuki's left forearm was cut, little to the culprit's acknowledgement this would be the evidence disproving the idea of suicide. Another piece of evidence the culprit failed to notice was the small white fragment that was broke off of their skull bobble during the struggle.

**Act 5** : After the culprit fatally stabbed Yuki, they propped her up in the corner and placed her left hand on the knife handle. The culprit then took the key from Yuki's corpse, taped one end of the fishing wire to it, threaded the needle through Yuki's pocket, and took the two ends of wire out of the door then simply locked the door with the key. They pulled on the needle end of fishing wire; bringing the key back to Yuki's pocket. After the key was back the culprit pulled on the wire, snapping it free, then they just took the evidence away. Creating the sealed room which almost threw us all off their tracks.

**Act 6** : All that they were left to do was dispose of the fishing wire and needle by using the furnace in the trash room. Unfortunately, while the wire was burning the culprit failed to notice a piece fall on the floor as they walked back to their dorm, which ultimately lead us to seeing through their cleverly thought out trick. Isn't that right Omori Ishida the Ultimate Clothes designer?

**Complete**

  
Okarine: If I missed anything then please say so

Omori: No, that's exactly what happened

Bukuro: Then Ishida-san is really the culprit?

Omori: Yes and with that I guess we should start the voting, isn't that right Monokuma?

Monokuma: Alright! It's finally time for the highly anticipated votin' time! Please press the button, according to the person ya think the blackened is, that's in front of ya and make sure ya all vote!

**Voting time – What's your verdict?**

The blackened is...

 

Omori Ishida

  
Monokuma: Now it's finally time for the spotless and the blackened to face off! Did you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one?

All: ...

Monokuma: Ding ding ding, ya correct! The blackened who killed Yuki Tairu was the Ultimate clothes designer, Omori Ishida!

**Trial complete**

  
"Why Omori-san? Why did you kill Yuki-san?" Kana was on the brink of tears.

"I simply wanted to escape this place and find out what our missing memories are as well as what is going on outside." Omori replied as she looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry everyone..."

We remained silent, _so in the end it was Monokuma's motive that caused Omori to kill..._

"When then I guess it's time for the all important punishment time!" Monokuma shouted, breaking the tense silent in the room.

' _Punishment time'? Those words sent a shiver down my spine as the monochrome bear laughed manically._ "No wait!" I tried to stop Monokuma before he continued with the punishment.

"There's no point in delaying the enviable, Okarine." Omori replied calmly but she didn't look at me, _she's obviously terrified and I can't blame her_. "Monokuma, please continue."

"Very well. I have prepared a very special punishment for the Ultimate Clothes Designer! Now, it's punishment time!" Monokuma announced with glee as a red button emerged from in front of his seat. He took out a hammer and smacked it against the button causing a huge TV screen to appear and display an 8-bit pixel version of Omori in the centre. The statements 'Game over' and 'Omori Ishida has been found guilty, time for her punishment...' as an 8-bit Monokuma walked on screen, dragging Omori off of the other side of the screen after reaching her pixel self in the centre. The screen then faded as it began to show the live feed of the execution.

 

**By bloody design: The Ultimate Clothes designer's execution**

  
A collar latches around Omori's neck, dragging her away and she is dropped into a giant clothes factory with Monokuma workers at various sewing machines. Suddenly, Monokumas run in circles around her tying her up in red thread. She in lifted up by the Monokumas then thrown onto a large sheet of white fabric, on a conveyer belt moving towards a giant cutting guillotine as it went up and down in a slicing motion. She struggles as she attempts to free herself from the tightened thread around her body. Eventually, the thread loosens and Omori is able to untie herself but then she finally notices that the guillotine hanging ominously above her head. Her eyes widen in shock and fear as the guillotine falls down upon her, killing her instantly. Omori's blood slowly soaks into the fabric, dying it in a neon pink colour. The Monokuma workers then use the cut up bloody fabric to create clothes then Monokumas model the clothes designs on a catwalk.

  
_This is...so brutal_... I couldn't believe what I just witnessed and by the looks of it neither did anyone else.

"Kyahhhhh!" All Kana could do was scream in fear as Shiro and Kunieda did.

"N-no way, t-this can't real..." Naski placed his hands on the sides of his head as he looked down in fear. "She didn't deserve that..."

"Didn't she deserve it? I mean she did kill someone and that means punishment, it's the way society works after all." Riuto replied bluntly. But you could tell by his tone that he was slightly horrified by the execution.

"Even so! That was just awful, even if Ishida-san did what she did, she didn't deserve such a cruel end." Rage and sadness loomed over Bukuro's head.

The rest of the students remained silent in terror at the slight they all just witnessed, even Enju who had shown no emotion up until this point was also in a state of shock, well all except one...I glanced over at the smaller blue haired boy who instead of being scared like the rest, he seemed to be mentally unscathed by the events, if anything he was the calmest person present _. How could he so be calm_?

"How was that for extreme?! I can hardly contain myself!" Monokuma broke the deafening silence which filled the room. "Well that concludes that exciting trial! Make ya way back to the elevator to return to the academy's first floor when ya ready. Oh and one more thing, the bodies have been cleaned up for ya so ya can continue ya normal school life." The monochrome bear then disappeared from our sight.

Silent once crept over us all, no one dared say anything. It didn't take long for us to all leave the trial room and enter the cold steel elevator again. The doors rattled close and the elevator rumbled as it made its climb back towards the first floor. We all left to our dorms once the doors reopened. Feeling mentally exhausted, I lay back on my bed and stared absent mindedly at the ceiling, I couldn't even think of anything without unconsciously thinking back to the murder and execution. _I couldn't protect them...I failed. I didn't even know that a murder would happen...no...I was just too stubborn to accept it as a possibility. I was too naive after all.._.

**Chapter 1 - The spotlight shines upon this life and death performance – end**

**Students remaining – 13**

**To be continued...**


	5. A photo to seal a deadly fate (Daily life, part 1)

*ding dong*

 _Huh? Someone's at the door? I wonder who..._ I slowly rose from my bed and stumbled over to the door. Upon unlocking the dorm door, I came face to face with Yoshiki.

"Is there something you need?" I sounded fed up with everything and definitely felt that way too.

"I thought ya needed cheering up and I wanted to see you." Yoshiki fiddled with his thumbs and didn't look me in the eye. _He wanted to see me? So no one asked him to check on me_?

"I'm fine Yoshiki; you don't have to feel like you have check on me."

"But ya don't look or sound it." Yoshiki pointed out.

"..." I decided not to try and tell him otherwise.

"So you're not fine, are ya? Is it that you feel like you failed to keep everyone alive and feel like it's your fault?"

"You really are good at reading people aren't you? Why wouldn't I feel to blame, I promised to get everyone out of here and I failed cause I was too naive..." I averted my gaze to the side.

"You're not to blame here Hasagarwa; it's all Monokuma's fault for trapping us in this killing game so stop beating yourself up and do something about it!" Yoshiki was pouting as he pointed at me. He was trying to encourage me.

I glanced back at Yoshiki with a clear wide eyed expression. "You're right...I can't give up now, I need to start doing something to try and end this killing."

"That's the spirit." Yoshiki clapped his hands together and smiled happily. "Now let's go to the dining hall and get some food." He started to skip off down the dormitory hall similar to how a child would. I smiled to myself and followed the smaller male to the dining area. When we arrived we saw Tatsumi and Kana sat at one of the table chatting together.

"Ah Okarine-san, Yoshiki-san, hello to you both." Kana waved to us and smiled, _She seems better than she did earlier...that's good_.

"Hi you two." Tatsumi greeted me and Yoshiki too. "Why don't you join us? The more the merrier, am I right?"

"Heyo Tatsumi-san, Kana-chan." Yoshiki smiled in his childish way and waved back. "Yeah we'll join ya, won't we Hasagarwa?"

"Oh, erm sure." I nodded which then lead to Yoshiki grabbing my arm and pulling me over to the table that Tatsumi and Kana were sat at.

Tatsumi glanced at me with a slightly worried expression "Yo, Okarine are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah I'm feeling fine, why do you ask?" I put on a fake smile trying to convince him that everything was fine.

"It's just that you're looking quite pale compared to yesterday, have you been sleeping properly?" Tatsumi's tone showed hints of concern, he reminded me of the way a mother or an older sibling would talk. _I guess I can't hide how I look from them too_. Kana also seemed concerned as she looked at me with that 'you can talk to us' look reflecting in her golden eyes.

"Not really and to be honest I haven't slept much since we arrived here." I replied as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Then sleep more if ya tired, Hasagarwa." Yoshiki pointed out.

"Yeah, as Yoshiki said, you should get some sleep if you need it, it's important you know?" Tatsumi pointed his right index finger at me.

"I know that but it's easier said than done..."

"Huh? What do you mean by that Okarine-san?" Kana was quick to question my words.

"I...erm...I have Insomnia so getting a long rest is near impossible for me." I nervously looked down at my lap.

"So you're an Insomniac; I'm surprised I wasn't able to tell before now..." Tatsumi muttered to himself, only just audible to the three of us. He glanced up at us and noticed our puzzled expressions. "Ah just ignore me, I'm just talking to myself." He waved his hand in front of his face.

"Hasagarwa has trouble sleeping cause of that?" Yoshiki tilted his head slightly.

"Y-yeah." I kept looking down.

Suddenly Yoshiki jumped over to me, hugging me from the side and poking my cheek. "Don't look so down Hasagarwa, who cares if ya have a little sleeping problem, it doesn't matter and I'm sure you'll be able to sleep properly again before you know it." He smiled innocently at me and had a reassuring tone in his voice.

"Aww you're so cute Yoshiki-san." Kana smiled at the small blue haired boy's attempt to cheer me up.

I glanced over at Yoshiki's smiling face, which was also very close to my own, and felt my cheeks get hot.

"Hehe Hasagarwa is blushing." I could tell Yoshiki was teasing me.

"N-no I'm not." I tried to argue back but this only resulted in me feeling more embarrassed.

"You so are." I received another poke to my cheek and Yoshiki carried on hugging me, _he'll probably not let go until I give up on my argument_.

"Heh okay fine, I guess I am blushing." I smiled as I admitted it, I knew I won't win anyway but that doesn't really matter.

"Yay, I finally got ya to smile again." Yoshiki beamed happily as he had achieved a small victory for himself.

"Could you...erm...stop hugging me now?"

"Oh sorry I forgot." Yoshiki finally released his grip.

"You should both just get a room already." Tatsumi laughed, teasing us both.

"H-hey, don't joke around like that." It didn't help that my cheeks were still reddened. "Tell him Yoshiki-" When I looked over at Yoshiki he was blushing way more than I was.

"M-me and H-Hasagarwa?" he was clearly extremely flustered as a result of Tatsumi's statement and it looked like in head was spinning from embarrassment.

"Pfft take it easy Yoshiki, I was just joking." Tatsumi leaned back on his chair.

"A-a joke? Y-yeah, of course I knew that." Yoshiki managed to stutter out.

Kana simply giggled to herself as she looked at us "It's like you three have been friends for ages."

Just as we were having a nice, friendly conversation, that despair inducing bear appeared upon the monitor screens. "Good news students! Ya world has now expanded so happy exploring everyone!" the monitors then switched off. _That was...new. Definitely a better announcement to hear_.

"Expanded our world? What a weird thing to say." Tatsumi was unsure of the announcement.

"Could it be that the fence blocking the stairway has gone?" Kana asked glancing from the monitor and at the three of us.

"There's only one way to find out." I replied.

"So it's time to explore more areas, yay!" Yoshiki's blush had completely gone by this point and he jumped on the spot, clearly excited to explore.

"Well what are we waiting for, let's get going." Tatsumi lead the way out of the dining area and the rest of us followed in suit.

Just as Kana suggested, the stairway to what seemed to be a second floor was now available for us to access. Yoshiki ran ahead of us, eager to investigate what rooms we have now, and we tried to keep up but he was surprisingly fast despite his obvious height difference. The second floor was slightly smaller than the first but still housed a decent amount of mid to large sized rooms. There was a few of classrooms, an AV room, a chem lab, a library with an archive, an art room with its own storage cupboard, a pool with separate changing rooms for both males and females, another blocked off stairway, and three rooms with the sign 'Ultimate lab' wrote above them. _Ultimate labs? I guess they are rooms for our talents, if so I wonder who's they are_.

The first lab we decided to investigate had a hammer imprinted on the door and upon opening the door a blast of heat hit us. _Why was it so hot in this room_? There was a rather large furnace near the back wall of the room, probably what was causing the high temperature in the lab. A variety of different sized hammers were hung on upon a rack on the left wall and near to them was a wooden workbench. There was also an anvil with a container full of hot coals next to it. Several tools associated with blacksmithing or metal wielding were laid on the workbench. _This must be Yoma's Ultimate lab_.

The next lab's door had a microphone emblazoned upon it and when we investigated inside we found a large stage with a huge pair of red velvet curtained and spot lights lining the edge of the laminate floored stage. There was a set of different microphone ranging from ones on stands to headset ones used by performers. _There was no doubt that this lab was made for Yuki. She would have probably liked it too if she was still with us_...Kana and Tatsumi must have noticed too as they both looked more depressed but Yoshiki was fine as usual. _I seriously don't understand him sometimes_.

We all moved on to the final lab that had 1s and 0s all over the door, which Kana seemed to recognise straight away as she opened the door with excitement and entered. The room was packed full of different types of technology and parts. There was some older looking tech as well as newer kinds and there was a large collection of tools that can be used for creating as well as disassembling different devices. Kana's eyes lit up at the sight, _so this must be her Ultimate lab_.

"Kana-chan looks happy with her lab." Yoshiki said to me as he looked at Kana, watching her reaction.

"I don't really understand all this tech stuff but if it makes Kana happy than that's good." I replied.

"Oh? Do you maybe care about Kana?" Tatsumi butted in, glancing over at me.

"W-what do you mean by that?" I felt my cheeks flare up slightly.

Tatsumi nudged me with his elbow "You know what I mean." _Oh god he means if her love Kana, doesn't he_? I glanced over at Yoshiki for help but he was acting strange, _it almost looks like he's...jealous but that can't be right, can it?_

"I-It's not like that, she's just a friend." I pushed Tatsumi to the side, or at least tried to.

"You'll have to try better than that shrimp." He flicked my forehead which caused me to think that we've been through something like this before. _Huh? Why does this scene feel familiar_?

Kana strolled over to us "What are you guys talking about?" she had a gentle smile on her face.

"N-nothing!" I was quick to answer her question.

"Awe don't say that Okarine, it's not 'nothing'." Tatsumi was not helping at all.

"Well if you say so." Kana giggled to herself as she looked at me and Tatsumi then her gaze shifted to Yoshiki. "Hmm? Yoshiki-san are you okay? You're very quite all of a sudden."

"Huh? Yeah I'm fine." Yoshiki snapped back to reality and smiled.

"That's good; I was worried for a moment there." Kana let out a sigh of relief then turned back to looking at her lab's contents. "I think I'll stay here for a bit, you guys can go and explore some more and I'll meet with you again later, okay?"

"Alrighty Kana-chan, we'll see ya later." Yoshiki gave her a small wave before grabbing my arm and practically dragging me out of the lab.

"Ah, bye for now Kana." I called out to her and waved as I was dragged out all of a sudden.

Tatsumi followed us after saying bye to Kana "So Yoshiki...what do you think of Kana and Okarine being a couple? I mean they're pretty cute, am I right?"

"H-hey didn't I already tell you-" I was cut off mid sentence as Yoshiki suddenly stopped walking and glanced back at Tatsumi.

"Yeah they're cute but I'm not sure about them being a couple."

"Oh, really? You don't think so?" Tatsumi had a disappointed look on his face.

Yoshiki shook his head then started walking again, still holding onto my arm _. He really likes grabbing me, doesn't he_?

"Erm Yoshiki? You can let go of me now, you know?"

"Sorry Hasagarwa..." He let go after replying in a sadder tone than normal.

"It's fine, really, you don't have to apologise." I touched the back of my neck feeling a bit awkward then I noticed we'd left Tatsumi behind. "Keep up Tatsumi, you're falling...behind." I glanced back at Tatsumi then started to worry. He was gripping his shirt over her chest, breathing heavily and leaning on the wall for support. "T-Tatsumi! What's wrong?!" I ran over to him and so did Yoshiki as soon as he noticed what was going on.

"Heh...I'm fine...no need to...fuss." Tatsumi smiled but his voice was shaky.

"You're not fine; you can barely stand right now." I was worried about Tatsumi and it was evident in my tone.

"It happens...sometimes, there's really no need to worry..."

"At least let me help you to the nurse's office so you can rest then."

"Okay, fine Okarine." He nodded allowing me to help him.

I helped Tatsumi stand up properly by acting as a support for him to lean on, it really didn't help that he was a foot taller than me though. We started to walk to the nurse's office with Yoshiki trailing behind us. When we arrived I helped Tatsumi sit down on one of the beds as he tried to catch his breath, _what is really wrong with him_?

"Thanks for the help Okarine but you don't have to stay; I'll just rest up for a bit then I'll be right as rain again." He smiled once again wanting us to believe him.

"Make sure you do get some rest then, I don't want you getting ill."

"Geez who are you? My mother." Tatsumi joked. "But don't worry I will."

"Alright, I'll see you later then. Hope you start feeling better soon too." I waved goodbye as I turned to leave, and so did Yoshiki.

"Bye you two." Tatsumi waved back as me and Yoshiki left the nurse's office.

"So what would you like to do now?" I asked turning to Yoshiki as I did.

He lifted his arms toward me "Can you carry me?"

"Erm sure..?" I knelt down so Yoshiki could climb on my back. When I stood up with him on my back, I was surprised at how light he was _. Well he is a lot smaller after all so that's probably why_. He was basically hugging me as I carried him around not really walking anywhere in particularly, he seemed happy about it too. _Did he really like being around me_?

"Yoshiki, why are you so relaxed around me?" I asked, curious what his answer will be.

"That's cause I trust ya."

"But why?"

"That's an easy one. It's cause ya the nicest person I've ever met and you seem to care about me." Yoshiki sounded genuinely happy about that fact.

"Wait please correct me if I'm wrong but you make it seem like you never had anyone that cared about you, is that true?"

"That's right; no one's cared about me before." Yoshiki didn't seem too sad by it.

"What? That's terrible. What about your parents? They must have care, right?" I glanced back at him.

Yoshiki shook his head "My father left me when I was young and my mother never truly cared about my existence."

"How could they? Parents are supposed to care about their children." I was serious; I still couldn't believe Yoshiki had been treated like that either.

"I-It's okay Hasagarwa, it's in the past now anyway." Yoshiki gave me a nervous response.

"It's still not right..." I averted my gaze towards the fall as I continued walking with Yoshiki on my back.

"Hey I have an idea, why don't we organise a pool party for everyone?"

"A pool party?" I glanced back to Yoshiki.

"Mhm, since everyone's on edge it might be a good idea to help relax and forget about everything that's going on just for a bit."

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea; let's tell the others about it and maybe we could organise it for tomorrow or the next day." I smiled.

"Well now that it's decided, why don't we check out the pool and check it out?" Yoshiki suggested with a small smile.

"Alright then, let's go check out the pool." I walked towards the pool.

When we arrived we saw two changing rooms, probably for each gender, with a scanner looking device next to each of the doors. I approached the reddish door and tried the handle but the door didn't budge. "Looks like it's locked." Yoshiki sighed disappointedly as I said that.

"Wrong, wrong! They ain't locked!" Monokuma suddenly appeared before us causing me to jump back in surprise; I'm actually more surprised how I didn't drop Yoshiki though.

"Geez don't suddenly appear like that!" I shouted at Monokuma. "And what do you mean they aren't locked? We just tried the door and it's clearly locked."

"Look closer ya Archer boy! Those scanners are used to open the doors; all ya need to do is scan ya Monopad and the door will open. Simple as that! Oh and ya can only enter the gender changing room that the Monopad classifies ya as so no boys can sneak into the girl's changing room, and of course that stands the same for the girls."

"And what happens if we try to enter the wrong changing room?" Yoshiki questioned.

"Then the one who does that will be punished! See that machine gun up there?" Monokuma pointed up and there it was; a helicopter machine gun hanging down from the ceiling. "It'll shooty shoot anyone who tries any of that funny business." He gleamed happily. _S-shoot them? That would tear someone to shreds in mere moments_.

"But what happens if a boy lends a girl's Monopad or the other way around?" Yoshiki questioned Monokuma once again.

"I'll fix that! From now on I'll be placing a new rule in ya Monopads!" Monokuma pulled out his own Monopad and quickly typed up yet another rule.

Rule 11: The act of lending your Monopad to any student or borrowing someone else's Monopad is strictly prohibited

 _Great another rule, just what we want_. I sighed as I glanced at Monokuma with his Monopad then he looked up. "By the way, I overheard ya both talking about organising a pool party and all I have to say is that it's a great opportunity for murder." He was certainly happy about the idea, _well for course he was_.

"Murder isn't welcome at the party." Yoshiki pouted. "Now shoo."

"Awe that's too bad, I know when I'm not wanted..." Disappointment loomed over Monokuma's head as he disappeared.

"Finally, he's gone. Now shall we check this pool out now?"

"Mhm." Yoshiki gave me a slight nod in response.

I scanned my Monopad against the card reader next to the boy's changing room's door. We both entered the room and the room itself was pretty normal, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Lockers aligned the left and right walls and in the centre of the back wall was some kind of weight lifting apparatus. Not too far from the equipment was the door to the pool area. As soon as I opened the door the smell of chlorine was faintly evident in the air and a slight feeling of warmth pricked at my skin. The pool was fairly large compared other school pool facilities, it was quite impressive. Upon having a quick inspection of the surroundings, we found a storage cupboard full of different pool supplies and floaties, a couple of diving boards at the edge of the pool at the deep end, and a life guard ring. _Well at least we don't have to worry about a shortage of pool supplies_.

"This place looks fine, what do you think Yoshiki?"

"I agree with you." Yoshiki nodded happily in agreement. "This party's gonna be so much fun." He said in his childish tone as he hugged me tighter since I was still carrying him.

"Heh yeah, should we tell the others during the morning meeting tomorrow?" I allowed the smaller male to hug me with no protests.

"Sure, that way we can tell everyone at the same time."

Before we could continue our conversation the monitors flicked on displaying Monokuma "It is now 10pm so it is now officially night-time, soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked and enterin' will be prohibited. Good night everyone, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."

"Should we head back to the dorms now?"

"Oh I guess so." Yoshiki seemed drained of his earlier energy.

I left the pool and began to walk down the hallway, towards the stairway. It was eerily quiet, all I could hear was my own footfalls and Yoshiki's soft breathing. When we arrived at the dormitory Yoshiki finally climbed off my back and waved before entering his dorm room. _Bye then..?_ I entered my own dorm then locked the door behind me. The bed felt soft as I sat down on its edge and I rummaged around in my pocket, pulling out my bottle of pills and taking a few. _I wish these helped me sleep instead_... I laid back and stared blankly at the ceiling _, I should at least try to get some sleep, even if it's only a couple of hour's worth_. I closed my eyes, eventually falling into a light slumber.


	6. A photo to seal a deadly fate (Daily life part 2)

"Gooooood morning everyone! It is now 7am and so night-time is officially over. Let's greet this beautiful day with enthusiasm!" Once again that annoying ass announcement blasted out of the speakers and yet again I was already awake before it too. _I guess I should head off to the dining area for the breakfast meeting_. Standing up from the bed, I made my way to the door, unlocked it and left the room, heading to the dining area. But when I entered the room what I saw definitely wasn't a normal morning thing, of all people, Riuto and Naski were having an argument and the others that were already present weren't doing anything about it. _Maybe I should just go and come back in a bit_.

"Who are you to question my abilities, mortal? I could end you in an instant and you wouldn't even know what hit you because I'm the overlord of the dead!" Riuto claimed in a loud but not too loud voice. _What a strange claim to make_...

"Aah give it up already, you're so annoying! Can't you see you're just wrapped up in your own delusions?! Just stop kidding yourself!" Naski shouted back in a serious yet ticked off tone.

"Tch, you don't understand anything but what should I expect from a Journalist? You would never begin to come to grips with my power." The Cultist gave a small smirk.

"Hah what power? Your power is only a facade; you have no real proof about its authenticity." Naski's inner journalist was starting to show.

Then I noticed Riuto glancing over at me. _Why did I feel so nervous?_ "Ah Hasagarwa-kun, just the man I needed." He looked happy to see me _, I wonder what he_ _needed_. "Now explain to this foolish mortal that my power is no joke." _So that's what he wants me to do_... I let out a sigh; _this is such a hassle, I mean why did I have to be roped into this_? I was just about to answer when I suddenly felt extremely light headed then everything went black...

As I opened my eyes I could hear the mutterings of the others but couldn't quite work out what was being said. Everything was still blurry and I could feel the hard surface of the floor against my back. _What_ _happened_? My focus started to claw its way back to me slowly and I heard someone's voice speak out and pretty close too.

"Hey Hasagarwa-kun, can you hear me?" _It sounds like...Riuto?_ The one the voice belonged to shook me by the shoulders slightly causing me to make a noise. "Thank goodness you're awake. Don't go fainting like that again, you had us worried." _I fainted? I don't remember_... I glanced around, mostly confused, seeing all of the remaining students in the dining area, now I understood that I was passed out but not for very long. I felt Riuto supporting my back as I started to sit myself up. "Take it easy, okay?" I simply nodded in response as I glanced at Riuto.

"So the little boy fainted?" Enju had approached me and glanced down with her arms behind her back. It was difficult to tell if she was being sarcastic or not since she never or very rarely expressed emotions. "And I have a question."

"Huh? What is it?"

"What exactly are these for?" Enju finally revealed what she had in her hands, a small orange plastic bottle containing little white disc-like pills. _Oh god I must have dropped them when I passed out_. I remained silent feeling increasingly nervous by the mutters and gazes of the other students. "So what is it?" her glare seemed to see right through me. I felt my paranoia building up; I just wanted to get out of this situation. "Well since you won't explain yourself then I guess I'll just have to keep these from you." Enju turned her back to me.

"N-no wait!" I shouted out involuntarily. _Why did I have to do that?_

"Oh? So you can talk still." She glanced back towards me. "So tell me, what are these?" she shook the bottle slightly causing the pills to rattle inside.

"I-it's...medication." I avoided any eye contact.

"Medication? What for?" She just kept asking the questions I didn't want to answer.

"That's enough!" Riuto stood up and took the bottle from Enju's hand. "Can't you see he clearly doesn't want to talk about it?" he turned to me and whispered "We need to talk, in private." He then helped me to my feet and started to leave the dining area with me. I could hear the other students talking about the situation as we left the room. We just continued walking until we reached the nurse's office, where Riuto sat me down on one of the beds and gave me a serious look. "So what's going on with you? You've been nervous ever since I met you but not as badly as that, I'm concerned."

"I..." I averted my gaze towards the floor.

Riuto sat next to me "You can talk to me about it, you know? I won't judge or anything." He patted my back with one of his bandaged hands.

"Those pills you're holding are for my paranoia but they also serve a different purpose too..." I sounded very nervous just mentioning it.

"It's nothing to be judged on; lots of people have the same condition." Riuto tried cheering me up. "Wait you said they serve different purpose, what do you mean?"

I hesitated for a moment. "They help suppress my other personality."

"Other personality? Could it be that you have a Dissociative Identity Disorder?"

"T-that's right..." I nodded, still looking down. "But I don't really want others knowing about it."

"That's fine Hasagarwa-kun; don't feel so nervous about it. And don't worry I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to." Riuto smiled reassuringly before passing me the pill bottle back "I should give these back to you then." He stood up and walked to the doorway. "Let's go back, shall we?"

"Erm alright." I stood up and walked over to him then we both left the nurse's office, going back to the dining area. Pretty much as soon as I entered the room once again the others looked over at me.

"Now before anyone says anything, you should know the situation is dealt with and the pills are nothing bad so no cause for worry or concern." Riuto summed up for the others and they seemed to understand. _Wow he was able to keep everyone from talking about it just like that_.

"Well now everyone is present, I have an announcement for ya all." Yoshiki had climbed onto one of the tables overlooking the group, _well he isn't that much taller than some of the larger students but that doesn't really matter_. When he gained everyone's attention he revealed what he wanted to announce. "Me and Hasagarwa will be holding a pool party for everyone so we can all relax."

"A pool party sounds like a great idea Yoshiki-san." Kana smiled as she cupped her hands together.

"A party in at a pool sounds rocking to Kazuya." Kazuya bounced on the spot with excitement.

"Time to relax, huh? I'm fine with that Kurosaki-san!" Bukuro grinned.

"When will that party be held?" Shiro asked.

"Tomorrow afternoon, I asked Monokuma to tell us when the time comes." Yoshiki smiled.

"You asked the bear to be our alarm clock?" Naski asked in a joking manner.

"Yep yep, I thought if he was here then I might as well make him useful for once." Yoshiki nodded happily in response.

"Well looks like we're having the party then, I'm okay with that." Kunieda added.

Yoshiki continued to answer the questions about the party tomorrow and the others seemed happy with the arrangement. After the conversation was over, we all left the dining area to do our own thing and I headed to my dorm for a short while.

_There's plenty of time left in the day, what should I do?_

**Free Time Start**

I left my dorm and walked around the second floor looking for someone to talk to. I heard a banging noise in one of the Ultimate labs so I peeked inside to see Yoma putting his talent to work. He put his hammer now and lifted his goggles up as he glanced at me, _whoops I've been spotted_. "Hey there Okarine, what are you up to?" He tilted his head slightly.

**Should I spend time with Yoma?**

**\--- > Yes**

**No**

"Hmm? You want to spend time with me? I don't see that as a problem so sure. Hey tell you what, I can teach you how to forge if you want."

I spent time with Yoma learning how to forge _, I think me and Yoma grew closer_.

"This is tiring...and you do this all the time?" I wiped the sweat on my forehead.

"Yeah, it's my talent after all. But you did pretty well for a newbie, probably due to your upper body strength you gained from own talent." Yoma seemed pleased with my attempt.

"So how did you get into doing forging in the first place?"

"It's always been in my blood to pursue this choice of careers since my parents and sister are also forgers and I've been following their footsteps since I can remember. To say the least, I'm proud to be to be part of the family tradition."

"They must be proud of you, being the Ultimate forger that is."

Yoma nodded "Yeah, they said they when really proud. And what about your parents, Okarine? They must be proud to have the Ultimate Archer as their son. "

"They would have been if they were still around." I tried not to sound too depressing as I didn't want Yoma to feel bad about asking.

"Oh I didn't know, sorry." He lowered his head.

"It's fine; it was a while ago now so I'm okay with talking about it." I assured.

"Still it must be difficult to think about nonetheless. Anyway I don't want you to have to think about it further so why don't we change the subject, yeah?"

"Sure. So back to what we was talking about, I take it that you enjoy what you do, right?"

"Mhm, it's something I've been enjoying for a long time. Do you enjoy your talent?" I could sense that Yoma was most likely smiling beneath his mouth guard.

"Yeah, it's really fun to compete and just practice for a bit, I kind of wished I had somewhere I could practice here."

"You'll probably get your own Ultimate lab soon enough, I'm sure of it."

"You're probably right." I nodded and smiled.

The two of us continued to talk for a while longer before I left Yoma to continue working on whatever he was doing. I returned to my dorm a relaxed for a bit before hearing the monitor click into operation, displaying a video feed of Monokuma. "Everyone, make ya way to the gym immediately for an announcement!" the screen then flicked back to black. _I guess I should get going then_. I left my dorm and headed to the gym. When I arrived, along with the rest of the students, Monokuma appeared at the front stage in a similar manner to before. "Wow ya all got here quick."

"You told us to get here immediately so we did." Naski sounded a bit annoyed as replied to Monokuma's comment.

"So what do you want to announce Monokuma?" Kunieda asked in a nervous tone.

"Oh yeah the announcement! Good news everyone, the next motive is about to be given!" Monokuma beamed with enthusiasm.

"A-another motive? No, I can't do this." Kana looked like she was going to have a breakdown.

"Well too bad." Monokuma then produced 13 envelops with each of our names on and threw them into the air causing them to flutter down upon the gym floor. Each of us picked up our 'motive' and opened the envelop. What I saw was a photo of my family's maid _. A photo of Maria? How is this my motive_? I glanced around to the others and they seemed confused too.

"Each of ya are holding a picture of the person or people most important to you. If no murder happens by the morning announcement in two days time then all of these people in the photos will die!" Monokuma laughed at the despair of the thought of us losing those precious to us.

"Y-you can't be serious?!" I shouted out, panicked by these turns of events.

"Oh I'm deadly serious, Puhuhuhuhuh!"

"There's no way you can do this! These people should be out of your reach while you're in here too!" Bukuro yelled.

"I can't do anything but I have people on the outside that can, plus I already have one of the people on the photos within this school." Monokuma's tone was sinisterly serious as he spoke his threat.

"What did you say?! You have one of them here?! Who?!" Enju broke completely out of character in a state of desperation and shock.

"I can't tell ya then that will ruin the surprise." It was like Monokuma had us in his palm. "Welp I'm a busy bear so byeeeee!" He then disappeared from sight as if he was deliberately avoiding any more questions. I looked to the photo in my hand; _I swear I won't let anything bad happen to you Maria..._

We all slowly left the gym after trying to process the current motive that had been thrown upon us. I returned to my dorm room and laid back on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

_I shouldn't just be sat around when there's still time left. What should I do?_

**Free Time Start**

I left my dorm and started to search for someone to talk to. I didn't take long to spot Tatsumi, _I still haven't checked on him after yesterday_. I approached the taller male and as soon as he noticed me he flashed a smiled and waved.

"Yo Okarine, is there something you want to talk about?"

**Should I spend time with Tatsumi?**

**\--- >Yes**

**No**

"Oh? You want to spend time with me? Well it's fine by me little buddy." Tatsumi smiled once again. _Wait...little buddy_? "Why don't we go get some coffee at the dining hall and just chat?"

Me and Tatsumi spent time drinking coffee and chatting about random things _. I think me and Tatsumi grew closer_.

"So Okarine, I have to ask, have you seen 'the one' yet?" Tatsumi seemed very interested to see what my answer will be. _Not this again, he really likes asking about love, doesn't he_?

"It's none of your business if I have or not..." I glanced to the side, my cheeks feeling slightly hotter.

"Awe come on, don't be so cold." Tatsumi whined. "But based on that kind of reaction I'm guessing you have found someone." He started to tease.

I quickly looked back at Tatsumi "N-no I haven't now stop teasing."

"But I thought you liked Kana?" Tatsumi questioned as he placed his hand to his chin like a detective would.

"I told you we're just friends."

"I thought you guys seemed like a pretty good couple but then again there's still that person."

"Huh? What person?"

"Why Yoshiki of course." Tatsumi pointed out.

"E-eh? W-why Yoshiki?"

"Well he seemed jealous when I talked about you and Kana getting together. Then there was his reaction he had after I joked about you and him. I think those are tell-tale signs that he might think of you as more than a friend, but that's just my opinion."

"I never noticed, but I don't think it's love." I waved my hands in front of me. "This gets me thinking about something else though. Could it be that you're the Ultimate Matchmaker? I mean it sounds possible since you seem really familiar with love and other's feelings."

"Don't brush off the idea of someone else's love, Okarine; you never know it might be true. And I don't think that's my Ultimate, I'm actually terrible at matchmaking. Thanks for the compliment though." Tatsumi ruffled my hair as he smiled happily.

"You are? Well I guess it was worth a try."

We kept theorising about what Tatsumi's forgotten Ultimate could be for a while before leaving the dining area and waving goodbye. When I reached my dorm I spotted Yoshiki stood by the door, _he must need to talk to me_. I walked over and the smaller Ultimate seemed happy to see me like always.

"Hey hey Hasagarwa." Yoshiki waved.

"Hello Yoshiki, did you need me for something?" I waved back.

"Erm yeah actually, it's about the motive." Yoshiki's smile had faded as he spoke about it _, he must be worried about the people on the photo he received but who wouldn't?_

"What about it? Are you worried?"

Yoshiki nodded "I think I know who Monokuma has here from the photos."

"You do? Who is it?" I tried to stay calm about it but it didn't really work, _I guess I'm too worried about Maria at this point_.

Yoshiki rummaged in his coat's inner pocket and took out his motive then passed it to me _, is the one Yoshiki cares about most trapped here too_? I opened the envelope and was shocked by the photo. "But this is a photo of me, I don't understand. Why am I your motive?" Anyone could tell I was confused by this revelation.

"I don't understand either, I only know you from here. But you have to promise you won't tell anyone about this or you could become the next victim and I don't want to lose you here." Yoshiki expressed sincere concern for my safety.

"I promise, it's just between the two of us." I showed him I was serious.

Yoshiki smiled. "Thanks."

Before we could say anything else that dreaded bear's announcement wailed through the halls. "It is now 10pm so it is now officially night-time, soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked and enterin' will be prohibited. Good night everyone, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."

"Nighttime already? Well I guess I should go to my dorm then. I'll see ya tomorrow Hasagarwa. Oh and I'm looking forward to the party, it's gonna be great to be able to relax for a bit." Yoshiki waved bye and ran off to his dorm leaving me only enough time to wave back before he left.

I entered my own dorm and locked the door before flopping onto the bed _. I wonder how the pool party will go, I'm happy that we can try and do something normal even after what has already happened, I just hope nothing bad happens but with this motive someone is bound to crack. Damn it why do I always think negatively at a time like this?_ I glance over at the pill bottle on my side table. _These pills aren't working for some reason, they normally do._ I let out a sign and turned onto my side as I gazed at the wall then closed my eyes.

"Gooooood morning everyone! It is now 7am and so night-time is officially over. Let's greet this beautiful day with enthusiasm!" _I'm starting to hate that announcement the more it plays_. I sat myself up on my bed and glanced at the floor, _I don't really feel like doing anything right now but I have to go to the meeting or the others might worry_. I stumbled over to the door, unlocking it with a click, and leaving my dorm.

The dining area was noisier than before so I peered inside before entering, I didn't want a repeat of yesterday. The others seemed more relaxed today and the air felt a lot lighter than it had since our arrival, _could it be because of the pool party we're having later_? I entered the room and Shiro, who was the closet at the time, bowed in a greeting fashion and smiled. "Good morning to you, Okarine." She was as polite as always.

"Good morning to you too, Shiro." I bowed slightly back. "It's nice to see everyone more relaxed, don't you think?"

"I could not agree more, it is a much pleasant atmosphere to have." Shiro nodded in agreement, a gentle smile still on her face. "I believe the others are excited for the pool party later today, I know for one that I am."

"Hasagarwa!" Yoshiki jumped over to me and hugged me, almost tripping me over. "Now everyone is here meaning nothing bad happened to anyone during nighttime." He beamed happily and let go of me.

"Still being as cute as always I see, Yoshiki-san." Kana let a giggle as she watched Yoshiki's child-like behaviour.

"Hehe yep!" Yoshiki grinned. "So are you three excited for the pool party?" he looked at me, Shiro and Kana.

"You bet, I'm excited. It's finally a time where we can all act normal and relax." Kana replied smiling and gave a slight nod.

"Of course I am, as Kana said it is time to get back normality for a bit." Shiro smiled once again.

"I guess so, yeah." I put on a smile, t _he whole party idea seems to be too a good a moment for something bad to happen but I don't want to be a downer about the whole thing_.

"It's good that you're all in to this whole party, it makes me happy to see other's being so excited about one of my ideas." Yoshiki had a genuine smile across his face. "And don't go fainting in the pool later, 'kay Hasagarwa?" he winked as he teased me.

"R-right." I nodded slightly.

After the breakfast meeting I returned to my dorm for a bit to relax. _There's a while before the party, what should I do in the mean time_?

**Free Time Start**

I walked from the dormitory and wandered to the second floor, searching for anyone to talk with. Sooner after arriving I spotted Naoshi with her back to me. I approached her and tapped her shoulder which caused her to spin around and kick me right in the left side of my jaw. "O-Ow..." I rubbed my now aching jaw after falling back onto the floor. Once Naoshi had realised who she kicked she began apologising.

"Aaa Okarine, I'm so sorry I didn't know it was you." She bowed apologetically and held her hand out to me.

"It's alright, it's not that bad." I smiled, grabbing her hand and getting back to my feet.

 _Mental note, NEVER sneak up on Naoshi_.

"So is there something you needed?" Naoshi tilted her head slightly while looking straight at me.

**Should I spend time with Naoshi?**

**\-- >Yes**

**No**

"E-Eh? Spend time with you? Sure." Naoshi smiled with a slight blush on her cheeks. "But don't get the wrong idea, it's not like I wanted to spend time with you or anything, you got it you baka?" She was suddenly more aggressive and pointed at me. "Now let's go to the gym for a sparring match, I'm positive a baka like yourself can understand that." With that Naoshi spun round to face the stairs, her low ponytails swishing in a fast swaying motion as she did.

"Erm yeah I got it." _What was with that response? And why am I a 'baka'_?

We went to the gym and I had a sparring match with Naoshi _. I think me and Naoshi grew closer_.

"Phew thanks for the sparring match Okarine; it helped me vent my energy greatly." Naoshi stretched her arms upwards.

"It's fine, don't wow you sure pack a punch but that's to be expected of the Ultimate Karate master. You really are amazing, you know?"

Naoshi blushed and quickly turned her head away for me. "Well of course I already know that, you baka."

 _Again with the 'baka'_? "Anyway, do you have someone waiting for you outside this school?" I asked trying to start a conversation while getting to know more about Naoshi at the same time.

"Yeah, I have my dad and older brother waiting for me. Though I don't really see me brother much he still cares." There was a sombre tone in Naoshi's voice. "I bet your parents must be worried about you."

"I guess they would be if they were still around." Naoshi went quiet, not really sure what to say in reply to what I just said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the mood."

"No, it's fine, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry about your parents. May I ask what happened to them?"

"They passed away in an accident in Alaska a few years back."

"I'm sorry about your loss." Naoshi had a saddened expression on her face.

"Thanks. Hey let's talk about something else, don't want to dwell on anything depressing for too long. So what about my father? What's your relationship like with him?"

"It's kind of rocky to be honest with its ups and downs. He can be a bit distant since he's busy with running the dojo so he's more like a sensei to me rather than a dad. But I do want to make him notice my skills and maybe then he'll tell me that he is proud of me." Naoshi explained.

"How can he not be proud of you? You're an Ultimate and that only proves you have great skill." I was honestly surprised that Naoshi's father has never expressed that he was proud of her.

"I guess he just viewed me as weak and he was right when I was compared to him. He always thought I let my emotions get in the way of my fighting and that they made my skills blunt." Naoshi glanced to the side as she spoke.

"That's not true, emotions can help you. When we get out of here I'll help you prove to your father that he was wrong about you and that you truly are strong." I gave Naoshi a thumb up and smiled.

Naoshi's cheeks quickly turned red and she went into a flustered state. "Ah t-thank you so m-much, Okarine. B-but it's n-not like I n-need your help or a-anything."

I patted her head a bit and let a little laugh. "I know you might not need it but I still want to help."

"I'll keep it in mind. Thank you again." She blushed some more.

We continued to talk together for a while before leaving the gym and going off on our own ways. I returned to my dorm and relaxed for a bit.

_There's still some time left before the pool party. What should I do?_

**Free time start**

I left my dorm and wandered down the first floor hallway and entered the dining area where I found a wandering Riuto.

"Hey Riuto." I walked over to him as I waved.

"Oh hi Hasagarwa-san." He replied.

**Should I spend time with Riuto?**

**\-- >Yes**

**No**

"So you wish to spend time with me? Very well I will forfil that request." A slight smile spread across Riuto's lips. "Let us talk about how to escape this place, maybe we will divise a good plan."

Riuto and I spent some time together thinking up possible escape plans. _I think we grew closer._

"You're a cultist, right? So what does that mean? Like what kind if stuff do you do to have an ultimate like that?" I was still curious about Riuto's title.

"Ah so you wish to know more about my talent? Well I will gladly explain it to you. You see I am the leader of a cult so my job is to make sure each member is staying within the correct guidelines and that they all know the correct procedures when completing rituals. That's the basic Explaination of my title anyway." Riuto explained, he seemed happy when talking about it too.

I nodded as I listened to Riuto. "You must have a lot of responsibilities then since you're the leader."

"That's right, I need to stay on my feet and make sure everything is in working order." He smiled proudly.

"Ah I see, people must look up to you then, right?"

"Well most of the time they do anyway." He glanced to the side and touched the back of his neck.

"Huh, what do you mean by that?" I was slightly confused by what he said.

"Erm well you see people like to push boundaries of what I will allow. I suppose it's their way to challenge my authority but it is hard to keep track of everything and everyone at the same time." The previous pride had disappated.

I looked at Riuto. "How do they push the boundaries? If it's okay for me to ask."

Riuto paused for a moment before glanced back towards me. "It's okay for you to ask about it. People like to break the rules to see my reaction but little do they know their actions cause me to face the consequences instead. It can get rather stressful." He let out a forlorn sigh. "It was much better when the cult was much smaller, it was easy to manage."

"That's not fair for them to do that, you shouldn't be the one to take the consequences, they should be the ones to own up to what they did." I retorted.

"It cannot be helped Hasagarwa-kun, I must take responsibility for my cult's member's misconduct. It is my duty after all." He spoke in a calm tone. "Maybe we could speak further on the topic at a later time though."

I nodded. "Alright then."

We continued talking about random topics for a short while before Monokuma made an announcement.

"Ahem, attention. As I was demanded to do this, I'm telling ya all it is time for ya organised pool party." Monokuma sounded depressed, well Yoshiki was using him as an alarm clock after all so I guess I understand why he sounded like that.

"I suppose that is our que to set off to the pool." Riuto stood up from his seat and glanced at me. "You ready to go?"

I stood up as well and smiled. "Yeah."

With that we both walked off to the pool to meet with the others.

  



	7. A photo to seal a deadly fate (deadly life)

Riuto and I arrived at the pool area and entered the male changing room. All Riuto did was change into a pair of shorts and took his jacket off.

"I'll wait for you at the pool side, Hasagarwa-kun." He approached the door to the pool and opened it before leaving.

_Guess he_ _isn't_ _really going to go in the pool since he_ _isn't_ _taking them bandages off. I wonder why he wears them._

I changed into a pair of purple swimming trunks then left the changing room. The air at the pool area was pretty warm compared to the temperature in the changing room.

"Hey Okarine, over here." Tatsumi called over to me. Kana, Riuto and Yoshiki were already sat with him at the pool side. I walked over to them.

"Woah what's with all these wounds?" Tatsumi had stood up and quickly rushed over to me with a worried expression on his face.

"Huh? What wounds?" I was slightly puzzled by his reaction.

Tatsumi grabbed my arms and inspected them. "These ones, you have so many what happened?"

 _Oh those. It must have_ _slipped_ _my_ _mind. I must have known someone would ask, my scars_ _aren't_ _exactly_ _unnoticeable_ _or small in_ _amount_ _either._

"There's no need to worry about these, they're just old scars." I tried to put Tatsumi at ease.

Tatsumi frowned. "You need to be more careful, getting yourself hurt this much isn't good, okay?"

"I understand." I nodded.

"Alright then. Sorry about reacting like that, I guess I worry too much." Tatsumi grinned and touched the back of his neck. "Anyway should we enjoy ourselves now we are here?" He put his arm around me and spoke more quietly so the others wouldn't hear. "And just between us two, I think Kana is looking pretty fine in that bikini, don't you think so?"

I glanced over at Kana. The frilled pastel blue bikini she was wearing allowed for people to see her feminine curves and it really suited her. With that thought I felt my face heat up.

"Hehe you agree with me don't cha?" Tatsumi let out a laugh.

"Fine...you win this time." I muttered as I blushed.

"I knew it." Tatsumi smiled brightly. "Now let's go talk to the others before they start getting suspicious over what we're talking about." He walked back other to the other three and I followed.

"Glad you made it Hasagarwa." Yoshiki smiled at me as he floated on a rubber ring floatie in the water just near to the edge.

"Well I wasn't going to pass up an oppunity to relax that easily." I sat at the pool's edge with my legs in the water.

Kana sat beside me and kicked her legs in the water a bit.

"You guys enjoy your pool, I'll just be sat here relaxing." Riuto laid back on the floor and put his hands behind his head.

"Your loss man." Tatsumi jumped into the pool with a fairly large splash and started to swim around.

As I looked around the pool area I noticed that everyone else was here and enjoying themselves.

"Take cover!" Bukuro shouted as he jumped from the highest diving board and got into the cannonball position. When he landed in the water it was if a large boulder had hit it instead as the splash from that was huge.

"It's nice to be able to act normally, don't you think so?" Kana glanced over in my direction.

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Now that I think about it this is the first time we have all been able to relax like this since getting here too."

"I just hope nothing bad happens." A sombre smile appeared on Kana's lips.

"Yeah I hope so too." I glanced down at the surface of the pool water.

"Would you stop looking so serious and just enjoy yourself already?" I felt a pair of hand suddenly pull me forward causing me to fall into the pool.

When I resurfaced I came face to face with Tatsumi. "Why did you pull me in the pool so suddenly?"

"You were looking all serious and stuff so yeah." Tatsumi simply grinned at me.

I let out a sigh before smiling back. "Fair enough I suppose."

The pool party proceeded pretty well despite people coming and going from the pool area to do other stuff. I mean even Riuto decided to up and disappear on us for 'personal reasons' after Tatsumi splashed him with a whole load of water. Out of everyone Riuto, Yoma, Enju, Kunieda, Naski, Shiro, and Bukuro had all left the pool for reasons of their own for short amounts of time. Well that was true for most anyway; both Yoma and Riuto had failed to return for a good amount of time now. Maybe I should look for them.

I climbed out of the pool and excused myself before going to the changing room, drying off, and changing into my normal clothes.

Upon leaving the changing room I noticed something suspicious. A pair of shoes poking out from the inside of the Ultimate Forger's lab. As I approached the room to investigate I felt that familiar sensation of dread wash over me, it was the same as when Kana and I had found Yuki's body.

When I reached the open door I witnessed a sight that sent a feeling of horror right through me.

The still body of the Ultimate Forger, Yoma Tetsuru laid face down on the ground. Neon pink blood stained the top-back of his head and a small collection had started to pool around his head on the floor.

I stood there frozen in fear, it had happened again. Yet again someone had lost their life in this sick, twisted place. I needed to tell the others.

I rushed back to the pool as fast as I could and soon all attention was on me due to the fact I just burst through the door. "I-it's happened again..." That was all I had to say for the others to understand the situation.

After a short while we had all gathered in the Ultimate lab, well except Riuto that is.

When we did that a nearby monitor switched on displaying Monokuma on its screen. "A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, that ya may use as ya like, the class trial will begin!" The monitor's screen flickered back to black.

"N-no way..." Naski muttered in disbelief.

"Why did something so horrible have to occur again?" Shiro, who was clearly put off by the sight, looked away and closed her eyes.

"Damn it, right under ours noses too, how could this happen?" Bukuro cletched his fist and spoke in a quieter tone to his usual one.

"W-who could have done something like this to Yoma?" Kunieda moved her arms near to her chest.

"The only suspicious person right now is that cultist since he's the only one not present." Enju spoke up then everyone went silent.

 _She_ _wasn't_ _wrong_ _but is Riuto really the one who did this? Part of me_ _can't_ _believe that._

"There's no way Ruito-san is the culprit!" Kana suddenly shouted out loud causing everyone to look her direction.

"Oh? And how can you be so sure? How well do you even know him?" Enju jabbed back.

"I-" Kana stumbled over her words and didn't know how to respond. "I just know it."

"What kind of answer-" "We shouldn't argue now as you can already tell it's not a good time. We should just investigate the murder first before condemning people without evidence." I stepped in before Enju could finish her statement.

"Very well." Enju turned away from me.

**Investigation start**

 

The same sound of the beep that I had heard during our first investigation came from the monopads. I took mine out and took a look at the monokuma file.

 

**Monokuma file #2**  
**T** **he victim is the Ultimate Forger, Yoma Tetsuru.**

  
**The body was discovered in the Ultimate Forger's lab.**

**The cause of death is blunt forced trauma to the back of the skull.**

**There was no additional injuries.**

_That's_ _weird, the time_ _of_ _death_ _isn't_ _displayed_ _, I guess_ _figuring_ _out when Yoma died is the_ _key_ _to solving this crime and discovering the identity of the culprit._

Truth bullet obtained:  
-Monokuma file #2

 

_I suppose_ _I_ _should check over the body now._

 

I approached the corpse and started to search for any clues. I started with the wound, it was pretty deep and there was plenty of blood that had poured from it.

 

"He most likely died instantly." I was surprised by the fact Tatsumi had suddenly started talking while crouched next to me. "Based on the positioning and the severity of the wound, instant death would most likely be the outcome." He appeared more serious than usual too. "And see the way the wound is a curved like that?" He pointed to the wound. "This would mean that the murder weapon must be a blunt object with a circular end." 

 

I was pretty dumbfounded to say the least, I didn't expect Tatsumi to make an observation like this one. "You can really tell all that with one look?" 

 

"Ah, i-it's simply a guess that's all." Tatsumi became more worked up and nervous. 

 

"Oh okay." I slowly trained my focus back to the body.

 

Truth bullets obtained  
-head wound  
-Tatsumi's observation

 

I searched around the body then saw that Yoma's arm was stretched outwards. Next to his hand there was some sort of message wrote in blood saying 'R' and 'O'. 

 

_Is this Yoma's dying message? But if_ _that's_ _so then does that mean he_ _didn't_ _die instantly like Tatsumi thought? This seems_ _a bit_ _too convenient though._

 

Truth bullet obtained  
-Message in blood

 

It seemed that the body itself didn't hold any more immediate evidence so I should start searching the room now. I soon noticed Yoshiki just kind of staring at the hot coals at the back of the room. I approached him to see what he was doing. "What are you staring at Yoshiki?" 

 

"Oh Hasagarwa." He turned to face me. "I was wondering about this." He pointed at the hot coals.

 

"Huh, the hot coals? But aren't they always burning?" I was slightly confused about what Yoshiki was getting at.

 

"I checked in here before and the coals weren't burning then so I think they were only being used when Yoma-chan was working." Yoshiki pointed out. 

 

"I guess that would make sense." I tapped my chin. "Okay so now we should figure out why they are being used, right?" 

 

"Precisely." Yoshiki nodded.

 

Truth bullet obtained  
-Hot coals

 

"I guess we should start by asking the others and see if anyone knows about this." I turned around and looked around for those who were with Yoma at the time of the pool party. Once I spotted one of them just outside the Ultimate lab I approached them. "Hey Naoshi, can I ask you about something?" 

 

  
Naoshi turned around to face me. "Oh Okarine, sure ask away." 

 

"You was with Yoma during the pool party, right? So do you know why he left?" I asked her.

 

She thought back for a slight moment before answering. "Well he said he wanted to go work on something for a while before coming back to the pool again."

 

"Do you know what Yoma-chan was working on?" Yoshiki questioned.

 

Naoshi shook her head. "Unfortunately I don't know what it was exactly, all I know is that it was something to do with his talent so maybe it was some kind of metal wielding. Hope that helps in some way." 

 

"That's a great help, thanks Naoshi." I gave her a smile.

 

"Glad I was able to assist your investigation." She smiled back.

 

Truth bullet obtained  
-Naoshi's account

 

Yoshiki and I turned back to the lab and continued to investigate. 

 

"Okay well now we know why the coals were burning at least. So what should we check next?" I turned to Yoshiki.

 

"I think we should go over who left the pool before the murder cause they are the main suspects." He explained. 

 

I tapped my chin in thought. "Alright so from what I observed, excluding Yoma; Riuto, Enju, Kunieda, Naski, Shiro, and Bukuro where the only ones to leave the pool area during the party." 

 

Truth bullet obtained  
-People who left the pool

 

"I believe we should check their alibis when we get to the trial since everyone will be together then." Yoshiki nodded a couple times then looked at me. "Now let's check the rest of the room."

 

We searched the room and found a small patch of blood on the floor near doorway just inside the room, slightly under Yoma's leg. I knelt down and rubbed my index finger across the patch. "It's dry." 

 

Yoshiki crouched down next to me. "So that means it's been here for at least fifteen minutes." 

 

I nodded. "Yeah." I stood up and glanced around and something caught me eye. "Hey Yoshiki look at this." I signalled him over. 

 

"Hmm? What is it, Hasagarwa?" He stood up and wandered over to me.

 

"There's a damp patch here; water most likely." I pointed at the patch outside of the doorway. 

 

"So our culprit is someone who used the pool, but pretty much everyone did so it might not help that much." Yoshiki placed his hand on his chin.

 

"We should still count it as evidence, I think it might be important." I glanced over at Yoshiki.

 

Truth bullets obtained  
-Dried blood  
-Damp patch

 

I walked over to the back of the room and took a look at the hammers that were hung up. "Could one of these be the murder weapon?" 

 

Yoshiki walked over and stared at the hammers for a moment. "I don't think so. If you look closely then you can see the hammers are completely spotless and these ones are too big compared to Yoma's head wound. Plus look, one's missing." He pointed to the empty gap between a couple of the hammers."

 

"I suppose you're right about that. Wait do you think the missing one is the murder weapon and if so where could it be?" 

 

"Don't worry we'll find it in due time then we can check." Yoshiki insisted.

 

Truth bullet obtained  
-Clean hammers  
-Missing hammer

 

"I think that's everything in this room, I think we should check the pool's changing rooms now." I suggested before walking over to the door, ready to leave.

 

"Alrighty, lead the way Hasagarwa." Yoshiki grinned as he followed me out of the room.

 

As we approached the pool area I noticed Kana just leaving the girl's changing room. "Hey Kana." 

 

"Oh hello Okarine-san, Yoshiki-san." She smiled but I could tell she was still shook up. 

 

"What were you doing in the changing room?" Yoshiki asked pretty much immediately.

 

"I was conducting my own investigation since you two won't be able to go in the girl's changing room due to the rules. I wanted to help find the culprit." Kana explained and she sounded more confident compared to our first investigation.

 

"Did you find anything?" I asked, looking at her.

 

"In matter of fact I did. It appeared that one of the towels was missing and that the shower had been used more recently. There was also a wet towel on the side." Kana summed up her findings.

 

"Hmm I see, thank you for the information Kana, it will be a big help in discovering the culprit." 

 

Truth bullets obtained  
-Missing towel  
-Shower  
-Wet towel

 

"Happy to help. And good luck with your investigation you two." Kana gave us a smile and waved as she walked off. 

 

I waved back before turning Yoshiki. "Alright, let's investigate the boy's changing room." 

 

He gave me a small nod. I scanned my monopad and entered the changing room with Yoshiki following behind me. 

 

Nothing really seemed out of place to be honest but there was one thing, Riuto's jacket was still hung on one of the clothes' hooks. 

 

"Huh, that's weird. Why would he leave his jacket here?" I picked the jacket up from the hook.

 

"Maybe he was planning on returning to the pool." Yoshiki guessed.

 

"Yeah maybe." I furrowed my brow, something seemed off but I just didn't know what it was exactly.

 

Truth bullet obtained  
-Riuto's jacket

 

"It doesn't look like there's anything else to take note of here. I think we should try to find the murder weapon now." Yoshiki had finished taking a look around the room and had walked back over to me.

 

"Alright." I nodded before placing the jacket back on the hook and leaving the changing room with Yoshiki. "Where do you suggest we search now?"

 

Yoshiki placed his hand on his chin. "Hmm I think we should probably check the trash room, I mean that was where we found important evidence last time." 

 

"Okay then let's get going." I nodded and we walked down to the first floor. As we approached the trash room I begun to wonder.

 

_Where could Riuto have gone? Nothing bad has happened to him, right? God_ _I_ _hope not, we_ _don't_ _want anyone else to die- I_ _can't_ _think like this,_ _I_ _need to focus on the task ahead and just hope for the best._

 

  
Upon arriving at the trash room we both noticed that there was something suspicious sticking out of the furnace. As we moved closer to inspect the item it became clear it was black fabric.

  
"Wait black fabric? Where is this in here?" I took the fabric from the furnace and took a closer look at it. It had been scorched and burnt so at least half the material had been reduced to ash.

"Hmm I'm not entirely sure, maybe the culprit dumped it here cause it's evidence." Yoshiki sounded confused too but he may be onto something.

Truth bullet obtained  
-Black fabric

  
However, before I could respond to his suggestion Yoshiki had stuck his hand in the furnace. I panicked and pulled Yoshiki away from the furnace. "W-what are you doing? You might burn yourself!"

He glanced at me with a confused expression on his face. "But it's cold."

I let go of Yoshiki feeling a sense of embarrassment wash over me.

_Wait_ _how could it be cold, if the_ _culprit_ _had indeed used it then it would have been used recently therefore it should realistically still be hot._

I then noticed that Yoshiki was now holding something in his left hand. "Hey Yoshiki, what you got there?" I pointed at the item.

"Oh this?" He held up the item so I could view it more clearly. It was a burnt hammer. "I think we may have found our missing murder weapon." He appeared happy with this discovery.

"Really? That's good then." I smiled briefly. "But there's still something that doesn't add up."

"Hmm? And what's that?" Yoshiki tilted his head.

"The furnace was cold but if it had been used by the culprit then shouldn't it still be warm at the least? Yoma had only been murdered recently so the furnace shouldn't be cold yet." I started doubting the hammer in the furnace as being the right weapon.

Yoshiki blinked a couple times. "I suppose you're right about that. In that case that would mean this hammer isn't the right one and that the real murder weapon is still hidden."

Truth bullets obtained  
-Burnt hammer  
-Furnace

  
"I guess our investigation isn't over yet then and we need to find the true weapon before the trial or we might not be able to solve this case." I became serious.

"We should head back to the second floor and check the different rooms, the murder weapon must be somewhere on the second floor."

We hurried from the trash room and went to the second floor in hope of finding the missing weapon. On our way we met with Kazuya.

"Why are you both in such a huge hurry?" Kazuya quizzed us.

"We still need to find a hammer that was missing from Yoma's lab. Have you found anything Kazuya?" I asked her to see if we could find anymore evidence.

"Kazuya hasn't seen any hammers lieing around but she did find out something that could be useful." She seemed excited that she had discovered something.

"What did you find Kazuya-chan?" Yoshiki glanced at Kazuya.

Kazuya tapped the sides of her head as if she was recalling information. "Well you see Kazuya noticed that some materials were missing from the art room's supplies this morning. If she remembers correctly then it was some kind of soft material, like the kind of material you use for clothes."

"Missing materials? Do you happen to remember was colour the materials were?" I looked at her and waited for an answer.

"She doesn't remember exactly, sorry she was not helpful." Kazuya lowered her head slightly in a sad way.

"No no, the information you already gave was definitely helpful, thank you." I reassured her.

Kazuya perked up and smiled. "So Kazuya was helpful? She's happy that you found her helpful to your investigation! She will now leave you to complete your search for the missing hammer!" She waved energetically then ran off elsewhere.

Truth bullet obtained  
-Kazuya's account

  
"Wow she sure is energetic even in a situation like this." I was kind of amazed how Kazuya was able to keep up her attitude even when things are bad.

"You're right about that Hasagarwa." Yoshiki nodded in agreement. "Shall we go check out the art room?"

"Yeah let's go." I lead the way to the art room and sure enough when we got there we saw that there was indeed materials missing as there was a gap between the stack of different coloured cotton sheets. "Looks like Kazuya was right, it definitely looks like someone has been looking through here and the stack of materials has been disturbed."

"Hmm yeah." Yoshiki approached the materials and began searching through them. "I can't tell what colour sheet was taken though, it's all too random and mixed up to tell. I think this was the culprit's doing so we can't tell what they took."

Truth bullet obtained  
-Missing materials

  
"Do you think anything else is missing?" I glanced around the art room.

"Well only know for sure if we have a look." Yoshiki began searching around the room looking for anything out of place.

I entered the small storage room at the back of the art room while Yoshiki searched the main room. At first glance nothing really seemed out of place but I did notice a rack of wooden and rubber mallets used for sculpting. I took a closer look at the mallets and realised that one of the large rubber ended ones was missing.

_I wonder if the missing mallet was the one Yoshiki found in the furnace._

Truth bullet obtained  
-Missing mallet

  
After finishing up my search I concluded that there was nothing else noteworthy and left the storage room to meet back with Yoshiki. "Did you find anything Yoshiki?"

He shook his head. "Nope, nothing here. What about you Hasagarwa?"

"I found some mallets in the storage room and one was missing. I think we found the missing one in the furnace, but I don't know why it would be there." I explained.

"It is weird but we'll have to wait until the trial to figure out this mystery." Yoshiki replied.

After that we left the art room. I turned to Yoshiki. "Hey do you think we'll find the hammer in time?" I had a growing sense of concern.

"Don't worry Hasagarwa, we will find." Yoshiki flashed a smile for reassurance.

"I hope you're right." Just moments after responding Naoshi rushed over to us and tugged on my sleeve.

"Okarine I've found something you'll find of interest." There was a serious look in her indigo eyes.

"You found something? L-lead the way." My voice cracked slightly involuntarily, I guess I was the nervous energy that caused it.

Yoshiki followed behind me and Naoshi as she led us to one of the classrooms. She slid the door open with quiet the unnecessary amount of force before directing me to one of the desks at the back of the classroom. She pointed to the underneath of the desk and simply said "Take a look".

I crouched down and peered under the desk. A hammer with neon pink stains on both the head and handle laid on the floor.

"Ah!" A shocked sounded noise escaped my vocal chords.

"What is it?" Yoshiki curiously asked as he tried to look at what I found.

I picked up the hammer and showed it to Yoshiki was a smile. "I believe Naoshi just found us the murder weapon."

"See I told ya we would find it." Yoshiki smiled back.

Truth bullet obtained  
-Bloody hammer

  
I placed the hammer on the top of the desk and turned to Naoshi, clasping her hands. "Thank you so much for finding this, I would have never thought to check the classrooms."

Naoshi's cheeks slowly turned bright red and she swiftly looked away. "There's no need to thank me, you baka." She mumbled.

Just then an announcement echoed through the halls as the monitors flickered on. "Yeeeeah I'm gettin bored so let's get this class trial started! All of ya should meet at the red doors on the first for this trial to finally begin!"

"That's our signal to get moving, come on you two let's get going." Yoshiki left the classroom ahead of Naoshi and I. We looked at each other for a brief moment before hurrying along to catch up with Yoshiki.

When we reached the red door on first floor they opened up allowing us to enter the elevator. Everyone was here. Once I spotted Riuto there too I was both relieved and suspicious, he had gone missing ever since before discovering the body after all so it's only natural to have some suspicious towards him.

_I guess everything will be realeved in it's own time in the class_ _trial_ _._

The doors closed the elevator begun it's slow and rattly descend to the trial room located in the depths of the academy.

The doors opened revealing the now familiar surrounds of the trial room. The only difference was that there was two more crossed out portraits since the first trial; now Omori's and Yoma's portraits had joined Kentaro's and Yuki's.

"Welcome welcome, now get to ya assigned podiums so we can start the trills of the class trial!" Monokuma cheered as he sat on his chair.

We all walked to our podiums and stood in anticipation for the trial to begin. Extreme anxiety swirled around the room and the air was unbearably heavy, this was most definitely a trial of life and death.

_And so the curtains open on our_ _second_ _trial in this nightmare_ _academy_ _. Yoma Tetsuru, the Ultimate Forger, was killed by one of us_ _and_ _it was up to the rest of us to uncover the deadly truth. We had to now fight for our lives again and find the killer so the rest of us can keep on living. It was time for a deadly judgement...A deadly deception...A deadly betrayal...A deadly riddle, a deadly defence, a deadly faith.....A deadly...class trial!_


End file.
